With the 2024 NFL Trade deadline rapidly approaching, one of the hottest names on the open market is Chase Young, the former second-overall pick of the Washington Commanders back in 2020.
On paper, the interest makes all the sense in the world; Young is a big name, has an incredible pedigree, and has been a very productive player at the NFL level, even if he doesn't do so in the ways that make your usual edge rusher into a household name.
Considering his New Orleans Saints just fired their head coach after losing to the Carolina Panthers in Week 9 – continuing a losing streak that began in Week 3 – and he's only on a one-year deal to begin with, Young feels like the perfect trade target for a team in need of an edge rusher, which, according to Tom Pelissero on the Rich Eisen Show, is about half the league. But which teams made the most sense for Young specifically, considering his ups and downs and unique playing quirks?
Well, while most teams could probably find a spot for Young, much like other journeyman rushers with sky-high draft pedigree like Jadeveon Clowney, these three teams specifically might just be worth keeping a special eye on, as they each have a unique need that he could fill in 2024 and maybe beyond.
Chase Young could be traded to the Lions
When Aidan Hutcheson went down with an almost certainly season-ending injury, fracturing both his tibia and fibula in Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys, it left fans in Detroit desperate for additional help coming off the edge.
Granted, the Lions have remained very productive even without their defensive lynchpin, winning every game they've played in while amassing 20 total sacks on the season – 7.5 of which belonged to Hutchinson. But their pass rush just hasn't been the same with the pride of Michigan leading the way, and they can't simply hope he returns in time for the Super Bowl to get back on track.
On one hand, the Lions have been linked pretty extensively to Za'Darius Smith of the Cleveland Browns, but what if he isn't ultimately available? What if the Browns opt to trade him elsewhere, the price becomes too high, or worse, if Cleveland simply opts to keep Smith around for the remainder of the season? Well, if that happens, the team would need to pivot to Plan B, especially as rushers like Baron Browning rapidly come off the board.
Enter Young, who could serve as an ideal stopgap edge capable of holding things down against the pass and especially the run until Hutcheson returns to the field in time for the Super Bowl, if not a week or two sooner.
Originally drafted first overall all the way back in 2020 – despite still only being 25 – Young has appeared in 52 games with 32 starts over his professional career. While he seemingly topped out as a rookie in terms of overall production, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year while earning a Pro Bowl nod, Young has proven himself a solid enough base end who can remain on the field on pass-rushing downs, even if he isn't a sack specialist. Place him on a defense that is already very good, and Young should be able to shine much like his run in San Francisco, where he feasted without having to be the defensive focal point of the Lions' rush.
Chase Young would make sense for the Eagles
If the Saints are willing to keep Young in the NFC but want to ship him back home to the NFL East, where his career originally began, the Philadelphia Eagles are a team in big need of a defensive end and may be interested in seeing if they can put the OSU product back on track to NFL greatness.
Facing off against the Eagles six times as a pro, four as a member of Washington, one with the 49ers, and one more with the Saints in 2024, Young has amassed eight tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble largely as a member of the now-Commanders. While the Commanders were never going to trade him to Philadelphia for obvious reasons, as they would never want to feel the way the New York Giants do now if he turned into the next Julius Peppers – the player Lance Zierlein compared him to before the draft in 2020 – the Saints hold no such issue and have even been very open to making deals with Howie Roseman in the past.
Now granted, Young isn't the easiest fit on the Eagles' roster in 2024, as much like Bryce Huff, he is largely used to playing defensive end as opposed to 3-4 outside linebacker. If the Birds want to focus on adding a proven 3-4 rusher instead of projecting a career 4-3 defensive end into a different scheme, then maybe Young isn't for him. But over the last five years, Young has proven himself one of the better defensive ends in the NFL at stopping the run off the edge, and if that's what's keeping Huff in a part-time role, hand position may be a moot point.
Is Young a certified sack specialist? No, the last five years have more or less proven he isn't that guy. But Huff came to Philadelphia as a pass-rushing specialist, and that didn't work at all, so maybe adding a player like Young, who can absolutely play on rushing downs and still be effective as a rusher, could make him an ideal rotational end with Nolan Smith, Josh Sweat, and Brandon Graham.
Should Chase Young be traded back to the Commanders?
And last but not least, how cool would it be to see Young return to the Commanders now that the team has seemingly turned a corner and become a certified free agent destination? The prodigal son back in the burgundy and gold after roughly a year out in the wilderness split between the 49ers and the Saints, ready to prove he can still be a force in the nation's capital.
And the best part? Young probably won't cost a third-round pick to acquire, which was the asking price in 2023.
While the Commanders still have a few players in place from the final Ron Rivera defense Young played in, including Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen, who is currently on IR, the former number two overall pick would instantly become Washington's top edge rusher, leapfrogging Clelin Ferrell, Dorance Armstrong, and Dante Fowler as a near full-time defensive player. If he can be had for a Day 3 draft pick, which will probably be the going rate if Young is moved, bringing him back to Washington would create a really interesting dynamic that would be fascinating for fans of the Commanders and beyond.
The only real issue is that Ferrell already has the number 99 that Young made famous in DC. Then again, having to pick a new number – or shipping Ferrell back to New Orleans – is a minor issue for one of the more interesting comeback stories the 2024 NFL season could offer up to the general football-watching audience.
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