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The Philadelphia Eagles already have one of the deepest defensive lines in the NFL, but one analyst is pushing the team to eye adding another star. Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder outlined a plan of moves for the Eagles to make to improve their roster. The analyst’s first recommendation is to sign former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Josh Bynes given the team’s injury woes at the position.
Holder then recommended two additional moves that will have to wait until the upcoming offseason. One is to target North Carolina linebacker Cedric Gray in the 2024 draft, a defender who could be a “solid run defender” for Philly. The biggest move involves the Eagles making a push for Washington Commanders star pass rusher Chase Young who will be a free agent in 2024.
“Derek Barnett and Brandon Graham are impending free agents, and Barnett’s camp was reportedly seeking a trade this offseason while Graham turns 36 in April,” Holder wrote on October 2, 2023. “So it seems like their days in Philadelphia are numbered and the Eagles will be looking for an edge defender this March, especially since Josh Sweat is only signed through 2024.”
“While Young hasn’t lived up to expectations in Washington, Philly has never been shy about taking on reclamation projects, and he’d bring some more youth to the defensive line.”
Chase Young Is Projected to Land a 4-Year, $71.5 Million New Contract
The Eagles are 4-0 and the focus is very much on this season given Philadelphia’s status as a Super Bowl contender. Yet, Young was once was viewed as a generational prospect following a standout college career at Ohio State.
Spotrac projects the Eagles to have an estimated $20.6 million in cap space heading into the 2024 offseason. Philadelphia has a number of their own key free agents that the team will need to make a decision on including Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox, D’Andre Swift and Brandon Graham.
It would be a surprise if the Eagles are willing to get into a bidding war to land Young in free agency given the team already has a bevy of pass rushers. Spotrac projects Chase to have a market value of a four-year, $71.5 million contract with an average annual salary of $17.8 million.
Heading Into the 2020 NFL Draft, Chase Young Was Labeled a Potential ‘Perennial All-Pro’
Young has not exactly lived up to his billing as the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL draft but the Commanders have not been the most stable organization during his tenure. The pass rusher is already off to a solid start to the season notching 9 tackles, 4 quarterback hits and 2.5 sacks during his first three appearances of 2023.
Young made the Pro Bowl during his rookie season in 2020 posting 44 tackles, 12 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 4 pass deflections and 4 forced fumbles during 15 starts. Heading into the 2020 NFL draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared Young to former star pass rusher Julius Peppers.
“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,” 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.
“…Young possesses superior traits and the ability to wreck and alter offensive game-plans as a perennial All-Pro.”
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