Commanders trade Chase Young to 49ers (2024)

By Dianna Russini, Ben Standig, Matt Barrows and David Lombardi

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The Washington Commanders traded defensive end Chase Young to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2024 third-round draft pick, league sources said. Here’s what you need to know:

• Young is in the final year of a four-year, $34.5 million fully guaranteed contract. The Commanders opted not to pick up Young’s fifth-year option this offseason.
• Young has five sacks and 15 tackles through seven games this season. The Commanders traded fellow defensive end Montez Sweat to the Bears on Tuesday in exchange for Chicago’s 2024 second-round pick.
• The Commanders are 3-5, third in the NFC East. The 49ers at 5-3 trail only the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West.

Niners’ no-brainer addition

Defensive end? Cornerback? Guard? There should never have been any question about which position the 49ers were truly after at the trade deadline. They have not been shy about pouring resources into their defensive line over the years. Their philosophy is that an excellent line makes all the other levels of the defense look better. There also was a gaping hole at the defensive end spot opposite Nick Bosa. After Week 1, the team has received 1.5 sacks from defensive ends not named Bosa — a Week 6 sack from Randy Gregory and a Week 8 half sack from Clelin Ferrell. — Matt Barrows, 49ers senior writer

How will DE shape out?

The odd-man out in the 49ers’ defensive end rotation may be Drake Jackson, a second-round pick last year. Jackson leaped out of the starter’s blocks this season with a three-sack game in Week 1. Since then, however, he has no sacks and hasn’t even recorded a quarterback hit. His snap count has been dwindling as well as he played a season-low 16 percent of the defensive snaps in Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The 49ers turned to Ferrell as Bosa’s bookend in that game and Ferrell responded with his best outing of the season, one that included a half sack and a forced fumble. Bosa, Young, Ferrell and Gregory likely will be San Francisco’s defensive line rotation moving forward. — Barrows

All Ohio State, all the time

The 49ers have needed a bookend to Bosa who could also defend the run on an every-down basis, and Young certainly provides that. It’ll be a dual-Ohio State tandem on the edges for the 49ers. As far as price goes, this can end up being a very inexpensive rental for the 49ers if they don’t end up re-signing Young. He’s due only about $561,000 more against the salary cap this season, and the 49ers can realistically recoup much of the cost of the third-round pick with a compensatory draft pick if Young signs elsewhere.

With five sacks already this season, Young has shown definite signs of rounding back into the form he showed before tearing his ACL in 2021. Above all else, the 49ers needed to address the edge-setting liability that had contributed to their No. 26 start in run defense, and this move should go a long way toward doing that. — David Lombardi, 49ers staff writer

Commanders opting for future

After three-plus years of leaning on a talented and increasingly costly defensive line, the Commanders broke it up. Instead of choosing whether to extend Young or Sweat or perhaps both, the Commanders shipped them both out before Tuesday’s deadline. Instead of trying to fix their numerous issues with the current team, Washington leaned hard toward its future.

Moving Young might seem curious, especially since Washington traded Sweat earlier in the day. The No. 2 selection in the 2020 NFL Draft has played closer to his Defensive Rookie of the Year form this season after missing 22 consecutive games following a significant 2021 knee injury.

Yet Washington’s defense hasn’t sniffed last season’s top 10 statistical level and ranks 31st in points allowed this season. This is despite a heavy investment in picks and salary with the linemen; Pro Bowl tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne previously received hefty extensions. Rather than double down, the organization turned the page on their DE starters. — Ben Standig, Commanders staff writer

Who made the call for Washington?

Coach Ron Rivera, who has the final say over personnel decisions, was in close communication with new Washington managing partner Josh Harris throughout the process, Ownership and the front office were “fully aligned” on the deals, according to a team source who was granted anonymity because the source was not authorized to speak publicly.

According to another team source, the Commanders hoped to keep Sweat, but the value of the Bears’ offer proved too good. The team views the trade of Young as a potential addition by subtraction, the source said.

The Commanders have depth at the position, but the group’s upside now plays in Chicago and San Francisco. James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill and Efe Obada played significant snaps over the past two seasons with Young out. Washington also drafted rookies KJ Henry and Andre Jones in the fifth and seventh rounds, respectively. — Standig

Backstory

The No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft, Young won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors after posting 44 tackles with 7 1/2 sacks but has struggled to replicate those statistics since. His dip in production is partially based on injuries, as he missed the end of the 2021 season and most of the 2022 season with a torn ACL.

Required reading

• NFL trade grades: Commanders commit to rebuild, deal Chase Young, Montez Sweat for Day 2 picks
• NFL trade deadline winners and losers: Vikings get their QB; why did Bears add Montez Sweat?

(Photo: Nick Cammett / Diamond Images via Getty Images)