There’s a trend here at Niners Wire. Any pass rusher that might be available is a player the 49ers should be aiming to acquire either via free agency or trade. Commanders defensive end Chase Young can now be added to the mix.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted in a column that Washington will be facing a money crunch on the defensive line. Breer reported Young isn’t being shopped and a trade seems unlikely, but he also said the Commanders would listen to trade offers.
Young, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft, has had a hard time getting his career off the ground after winning Defensive Rookie of the Year. He played just nine games in 2021 before tearing his ACL, and then was limited to just three contests last year. Young had 42 pressures per Pro Football Focus and 7.5 sacks during his first year. In 12 games across two seasons since then he has only 31 pressures and 1.5 sacks.
The injury and the struggles that’ve come with it forced Washington to turn down Young’s fifth-year option, but that doesn’t mean the team is necessarily done with him. He’ll only cost Washington $10,997,509 against the cap this year and he’s talented enough that they may want to see what he looks like with pads on in training camp before sending him elsewhere.
Timing is everything here and it’s why the 49ers should be closely monitoring what’s happening with Washington’s DE room. San Francisco has a handful of players competing for snaps at defensive end, including 2022 second-round pick Drake Jackson. They may wait and see how their DEs look in camp before going and trying to make another addition. If they’re dissatisfied with that group, they should be on the horn with Washington to see where the Young situation sits.
It wouldn’t likely take huge draft compensation, perhaps a Day 2 pick in 2024 depending on how eager the Commanders are to let go of the 24-year-old pass rusher.
Young’s contract would also cost the 49ers just $5,323,219 against the cap this year, which is right in the range that makes sense for them to spend on another edge defender. It’s not likely he’d command a new contract right away considering his injury history, so for the 49ers it’d be an inexpensive one-year flyer on a talented former No. 1 overall pick.
There’s a chance San Francisco has already been in touch with Washington. The two sides came together during the 2020 draft on a deal that landed Trent Williams in the Bay Area, so there’s a precedent for a significant move between the clubs.
Any movement may not be up to the 49ers though. They shouldn’t overpay in a trade to land Young because there is some risk. If Washington isn’t keen on moving him, there are other routes for San Francisco to go in the edge defender market. Keeping tabs will be important though just in case the price comes down.
