The Washington Commanders aren’t messing around.
Earlier on Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, they sent franchise pass rusher Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears. Rather than entertain the idea of a future for Chase Young in Washington, they then packed his bags and traded him to the San Francisco 49ers. Put another way in the simplest terms: Phew. I guess we now know how the Commanders feel about building a team around a defensive line. Even they knew that would be foolish.
Meanwhile, as their defense sits in shambles of late, San Francisco takes a low-risk play at Young, hoping he sands over a unit that struggled for most of October. If it pays off, the 49ers might qualify for Super Bowl 58. If not, well, they can try again next year.
Who won this trade between the Commanders and the 49ers? Let’s break it down.
The details
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, here is what both teams received in the Young trade:
The 49ers get:
- DE Chase Young
The Commanders get:
- A 2024 third-round draft pick (with conditions that turn it into a second)
San Francisco 49ers
Hoo boy. We knew the 49ers had defensive issues and that they might be active this deadline. But I don’t think anyone foresaw general manager John Lynch taking a swing at Chase Young to add him to San Francisco’s already vicious defensive front.
Young will immediately slot into a 49ers defense that features Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Javon Hargrave, Talanoa Hufanga, and … oh, you get the point. San Francisco has an embarrassment of defensive riches with Young in the fold. It could now present a mostly unblockable prospect to even the best contending offensive lines. This front-seven depth chart should be the envy of every other NFL team. I would’ve loved to see Lynch address a shaky secondary, but you can live with another massive addition to the defense.
While cheap for a conditional second-rounder, Young’s addition does not come without risk. The entire reason the former No. 2 overall pick was available in the first place was his sketchy injury history. Issues with a torn ACL and further complications mired the ceiling of the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year. It took Young nearly two full seasons to be available and playing at a high level in the NFL again. Until he stays on the field for a full year, skepticism is warranted about whether Young will actually work out long-term in the Bay Area.
Given that the 49ers are win-now Super Bowl contenders willing to take a flier, potentially missing on Young shouldn’t hurt them too much.
Grade: B+
Washington Commanders
Washington’s plan is now clear.
After already trading Sweat, general manager Martin Mayhew is done trying to lean on a star-studded defensive line that never translated to much team success on the field. Instead of paying Sweat and Young, the Commanders are going to build around Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne on the interior while using their freed-up assets to balance out a roster that still needs a lot of work.
I wouldn’t qualify what the Commanders accomplished on Thursday as a “firesale.” But they left the day with what might end up being two second-round draft picks. Plus, per Over The Cap, Washington will now enter the 2024 offseason with $91 million in salary cap space, with owner Josh Harris likely willing to write blank checks to finally revitalize this franchise out of the Dan Snyder doldrums. That is a huge win for the future and should be applauded as an excellent path to a new direction in Washington.
This trade deadline may well be remembered as a seminal, understated moment in the history of Washington, D.C.’s pro football franchise.
Grade: B
