At the start of his NFL career, it looked like the sky was the limit for Chase Young. After the Washington Commanders drafted Young at No. 2 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, the pass rusher went on to a sterling Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign. In the years to come, it seemed apparent he would be the next prolific terror off the edge.
But then a knee injury derailed Young’s progress. And, in late April, the Commanders declined the fifth-year contract option on what once seemed like one of pro football’s bright young talents. In the ensuing weeks, there have been slight murmurs that Washington might trade Young, even though Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports the 24-year-old isn’t on the block.
This puts the Commanders in an interesting predicament — an advantageous situation a long-time bumbling organization hasn’t had to worry about for years. But they have nothing to be concerned about as long as they keep their hand close to their vest. For once, regardless of how Washington moves forward with Young, there is no wrong door for the organization to walk through.
In the more likely event that the Commanders keep Young, they can be reasonably hopeful he eventually continues his previous dominant trajectory. Slotting him next to Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and Montez Sweat on what might be the NFL’s premier defensive line is a surefire way to ensure he gets favorable matchups. Even a few years ago, it would’ve seemed foolhardy to leave Young on an island while focusing on other destructive matchups as an offensive lineman.
Now, until (or if) he regains his form, Young feels like the obvious odd man out. No offensive coordinator in their reasonable mind is putting a double team on Young when their men in the trenches have to keep their energy on 2022 Pro Bowlers Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne and the consistent Sweat. Even while his knee injury has limited his effectiveness in recent years, it’d be hard to envision Young failing to take advantage of regular single matchups. If anything, this would be the ideal path to working his way back to the top of his game.
On the flip side of the matter, now would be the perfect time for Washington to sell off the former top-two pick.
Allen is one of the most expensive defensive tackles in the sport. Payne is looking for a massive contract extension after receiving the franchise tag this spring. And Sweat has proven to be a more viable option off the edge compared to Young. He’ll want to be paid handsomely (and deservedly), too. I don’t know about you, but investing in four premium contracts in one positional unit isn’t a stellar way to build a football team in the 2020s or any era. Washington has other pressing needs now, will assuredly have them in the future, and pushing all its chips in on pass rushers is how one team hamstrings itself.
This sort of make-up would be the definition of a luxury investment and one that just doesn’t make sense with the least productive member of the Commanders’ defensive line. It’s not crazy to assert Washington should simply recoup value from a big-name player with 1.5 sacks and five quarterback hits since his rookie year. It’d be the prudent move if the Commanders started to look ahead later this summer.
In the Dan Snyder era, you can probably count the number of instances where the Commanders made the correct roster call on one hand. Plus, given his status as a former top pick, their coming approach with Young will be appropriately scrutinized.
But unlike in the past, Washington really can’t go wrong, one way or the other. At face value, it’s probably a wild sentiment to express about a former Defensive Rookie of the Year; that his team might be able to live without him.
But that doesn’t make it any less true.