The 49ers are seemingly never content on the defensive front. On Tuesday, general manager John Lynch went back to the well once more.
Less than two hours until the 4 p.m. ET NFL trade deadline, the 49ers sent a conditional third-round pick to the Commanders for edge rusher Chase Young. Young will now pair with Nick Bosa, while the Niners bring pressure inside with Arik Armstead and Javon Hargrave.
This season, San Francisco ranks ninth in pressure rate (25.0%) and is tied for 18th with 18 sacks. Of those sacks, Bosa and Hargrave are tied for the team lead with three apiece.
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In Washington, Young has been a bit of a bust since being the No. 2 pick of the 2020 draft. This offseason, the Commanders declined his option after seeing him play just 27 of a possible 50 games. Most of those absences were due to a torn ACL sustained midway through the ’21 campaign, which also limited him to three games last season.
However, Young has been healthy this year, playing in seven games while notching five sacks. This has been his best season since being a Pro Bowler as a rookie when he had 7.5 sacks. With the 49ers, Young should pair nicely with Bosa, who played alongside him at Ohio State.
All told, it’s hard not to be happy with this deal from a San Francisco perspective. After looking like the best team in football for the first five weeks of the season, the Niners (5–3) go into their bye week having lost three straight before a tough road game against the Jaguars in Week 10.
The only question is whether San Francisco would have been better off trying to acquire an upgrade at corner such as Jaylon Johnson of the Bears. That said, Young builds on an already excellent front.
- 49ers grade: B+
As for Washington (3–5), it continues what must be a frustrating day for Commanders fans. After trading Montez Sweat for the incredible value of a second-round pick to Chicago, Young is now out the door for another Day 2 choice. And although those trades aren’t bad in a vacuum, they represent another lost season as general manager Martin Mayhew looks toward 2024.
With Young and Sweat both gone, Mayhew will need to address the defensive edges, once a strength and now a clear weakness.
