Getty Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn could get the most out of Chase Young.
Chase Young’s future with the Washington Commanders is in serious doubt, and the Dallas Cowboys would be wise to consider pouncing on a potential opportunity to land the star pass rusher. The Commanders declined to exercise Young’s fifth-year option which makes the defender a free agent in 2024.
Young has played in a combined 12 games over the last two seasons likely significantly lowering his trade value. The pass rusher was the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL draft following a standout career at Ohio State, but injuries have derailed the start of his pro career. Dallas should at least explore potentially landing Young given the buy-low opportunity.
According to The Athletic’s Ben Standig, the Commanders likely would have traded Young prior to the draft if they would have found a team willing to give up a first-round pick. It is unrealistic for another franchise to give up a first-rounder given the injury history combined with his upcoming free-agent status. Standig added that a more realistic deal centers around a package of future day-two picks.
“Second round? A package with multiple selections highlighted by a third?” Standig pondered on April 27, 2023. “Eh, now we’ve reached a gray area where the 2023 value for keeping the veteran might supersede a prospect’s likely production, at a point where Rivera might need a winning season to keep his job. Even that might not be enough with new ownership taking over.”
Cowboys Rumors: Would the Commanders Be Willing to Trade Chase Young to a Rival?
Chase Young showing great lateral movement while engaged with his blocker. @youngchase907 uses his inside hand to regain gap leverage & fights down the LOS to make the tackle! #stoptherun #httc
The big question is whether the Commanders would be willing to trade Young to the Cowboys, even if the team appears frustrated by the star’s current NFL trajectory. For the Cowboys, there are plenty of reasons to be willing to take a chance on Young given his upside.
Young is slated to have a team-friendly $5.3 million salary in 2023 in the final season of his current four-year, $34.5 million contract. The pass rusher is just 24 years old and earned a Pro Bowl nomination during his one season at full strength.
Prior to 2020 NFL Draft, Commanders’ Chase Young Drew Comparisons to Former Star Julius Peppers
Chase Young scoops and scores for his first NFL touchdown.
Young posted 44 tackles, 12 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks during 15 appearances in 2020. The rival star is admittedly a luxury for the Cowboys given the strength of the team’s defense.
Yet, one thing has become abundantly clear in today’s NFL: teams can never have enough pass rushers. Cowboys fans should be salivating over a pass rushing rotation of Young, Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. Heading into the 2020 NFL draft, Young drew comparisons to nine-time Pro Bowler Julius Peppers. The former NFL star had 10 seasons with double-digit sacks during his career.
“Elite size, length and athleticism created loads of production and a vaulted pro projection, but Young’s set of disruptive properties have yet to be fully weaponized,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft profile of Young. “He’s fairly basic as a pass rusher, with just a couple of go-to moves and an occasional inside counter, and yet he still managed 16.5 sacks in 2019.
“He has the traits to overwhelm many of the tackles he faces, and it won’t take long for teams to add a bull-rush, a rip-and-run and a stab counter into his repertoire. He plays a little upright at the point of attack, and his ball awareness is below average, but those concerns aren’t enough to counterbalance his range and agility as a run defender. Young possesses superior traits and the ability to wreck and alter offensive game-plans as a perennial All-Pro.”