Chase Young entered the 2020 NFL Draft with immense hype and was even billed as a generational talent by some. It is hard to blame the media for being so high on Young because he truly was a difference-maker at Ohio State.
The Buckeye pass rusher was impossible to block in one-on-one situations. Even when teams would send double teams his way, Young would still fight through them to make a play on the ball. His burst and strength off the line of scrimmage constantly overwhelmed the assignment across from him.
Young accumulated 30.5 sacks during his collegiate career, parlaying this success into several individual awards, including a nomination for the Heisman Trophy. Ultimately, the star defender finished fourth in voting behind Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, and his teammate Justin Fields.
Nevertheless, Young’s hype was as high as ever entering the pre-draft process. While the Ohio State standout opted against working out at the NFL Combine, it did not dissuade franchises from lining up at his door.
At No. 2 overall, the Washington Commanders selected the former five-star talent and inked him to a lucrative rookie deal. Defensive Rookie of the Year talks sped up at a breakneck pace throughout training camp, and Young did not disappoint.
Although Young missed a couple of games in Year 1, he still brought down the quarterback 7.5 times as a rookie. His four forced fumbles ranked near the top of the NFL, and his four pass deflections highlight how massive his arms are. All of this resulted in a Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
The optimism around Young heading into his second season with Washington amplified to the next level. Following his impressive debut, the 6-foot-5 defensive lineman struggled in the first half of the year before tearing his ACL in Week 10 and bringing his sophomore campaign to a screeching halt.
The surgery was more extensive than the typical ACL cleanup, so Young only appeared in three games in 2022. It is unfair to judge the gifted pass rusher solely on these few contests, but reports surrounding Young’s recovery and future prognosis call his remaining potential into question.
To the surprise of some, the Commanders elected not to exercise the fifth-year option on Young’s rookie contract. This means he can become a free agent next offseason, assuming the franchise fails to agree to a long-term deal before then. Given his injury history, and the hesitancy to commit, it opens the door for a trade.
5 Teams That Should Trade For EDGE Chase Young
We shouldn’t expect the Commanders to give away such a talented player, but the circumstances surrounding Young will likely result in a lesser package than you might expect. Who are the teams with the cap space, positional need, and willingness to bet on a player recovering from a major injury?
Chase Young: $10.9 Million Cap Hit
Chase Young Destination No. 1: Chicago Bears
Cap Space: $32.3 Million
Team Sacks: 31st (21)
It is no secret: the Bears’ defensive line was abysmal in 2022. Suffering from a roster turnover that saw Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn depart, Chicago entered Year 1 of the Matt Eberflus era without crucial pieces to his newly-implemented scheme.
General manager Ryan Poles made strides to improve this by signing and drafting several players for the front seven. Interestingly, most of the additions profile more as interior linemen, rather than pure pass rushers off the edge.
Chase Young can change this upon arrival. The former No. 2 overall pick would become a focal point of the defense and gives Eberflus a disruptive defender capable of harassing the opposing quarterback for four quarters. It is a risk with Young’s injury history and impending payday, but Chicago is in a position to take that risk.
Chase Young Destination No. 2: Detroit Lions
Cap Space: $23.7 Million
Team Sacks: t-18th (39)
The Bears are not the only NFC North team to make an appearance on this list, as the Lions are closer to competing for a playoff spot and need some more juice in the pass-rushing corps. Michigan Wolverine football fans are ferocious, but I’d imagine they would welcome the former Buckeye with open arms.
Last year’s top selection, Aidan Hutchinson, reshaped the front seven as a rookie. Not to mention breakout star James Houston’s eight sacks after falling to the sixth round. Still, as impressive as these two youngsters were in 2022, Chase Young can make them even better.
If opponents must game-plan against Hutch and Young, it frees up the rest of the defense to make plays. Going further, it takes the heat off of Hutchinson and provides more balance for the unit. Young could make general manager Brad Holmes look like a genius.
Chase Young Destination No. 3: Carolina Panthers
Cap Space: $27.9 Million
Team Sacks: t-26th (35)
The Panthers have a chance to win the NFC South in Year 1 of the Bryce Young-Frank Reich era. The offense is in good hands, as the trenches are stout, and the weapons are better than they seem on paper. How far Carolina goes in 2023 will come down to the defense.
The unit boasts a handful of high-end players and is a largely slept-on defense in the NFL. However, once Brian Burns is double-teamed, his teammates typically fail to take advantage. Yetur Gross-Matos is solid but cannot be the second-best pass rusher on a playoff team.
Enter Chase Young. With the Panthers, the former Defensive Rookie of the Year can hunt opposing quarterbacks opposite Burns. The duo would form a dream team off the edge, and both guys are 25 or younger, potentially giving Carolina building blocks for the next half-decade.
Chase Young Destination No. 4: Baltimore Ravens
Cap Space: $12.3 Million
Team Sacks: t-5th (48)
The Ravens generated consistent pressure throughout the 2022 season. This year, the unit welcomes back Odafe Oweh and gets a fully-healthy David Ojabo. Behind them, the depth leaves much to be desired.
Chase Young gives Baltimore a top-end pass rusher and provides insurance if Ojabo is slow to regain his pre-Achilles injury form. The team’s leading sack artist from last season, Justin Houston, remains unsigned, and it is anyone’s best guess where the veteran winds up.
Trading for Young would eat into the draft capital yet again, but after pushing all chips in with a monster Lamar Jackson extension… the time is now for Baltimore. Young helps the development of the young pass rushers on the roster and is a considerable upgrade over the aging Houston going forward.
Chase Young Destination No. 5: Houston Texans
Cap Space: $17.3 Million
Team Sacks: t-18th (39)
Spoiler Alert: the Texans are not going to the Super Bowl in 2023. But the tempered expectations shouldn’t stop the franchise from adding a player who can lead the defense for years to come. Especially when it is a pass rusher that fits the DeMeco Ryans system like a glove.
Young is powerful and explosive (when healthy), and Houston can pair him with this year’s No. 3 overall selection, Will Anderson. A duo of Young and Anderson will accelerate the rebuild exponentially.
The Texans are a long way from being legitimate title contenders, but the AFC South is not a juggernaut division. With C.J. Stroud running the show on offense, perhaps the key to returning to the postseason is allowing another former Ohio State legend to man the other side of the ball.