Getty Chase Young running after Lamar.
A familiar face could be coming back to the Washington D.C. area as former Washington Commanders Defensive Rookie of the Year Chase Young is predicted to land with the Baltimore Ravens. Dalton Wasserman of PFF predicted the perfect free agent matches for all 32 NFL teams and listed Young as the perfect player for the Ravens.
Wasserman wrote his story on March 7 and Justin Madubuike has since signed a four-year deal worth $98 million, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. However, it was already known that Madubuike would return, so Young could still be in the picture moving forward. He had the following on adding the former No. 2 pick.
“After franchise-tagging Justin Madubuike, the Ravens sit nearly $10 million over the salary cap. They will be working on a tight budget but need to build up their edge defender group with Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy hitting free agency.
“Chase Young could be an option, as he is currently projected to sign a one-year prove-it contract to reestablish his market next year. He performed reasonably well in his first full season off a torn ACL but hasn’t yet lived up to his lofty draft status. Baltimore has a long history of handing veteran pass rushers one-year contracts, and Young could be next in line.”
What Would Young Bring to the Ravens?
There are some legitimate worries about Young. After dealing with an ACL tear in 2021, Young hasn’t shown the same burst and athleticism that he did in his earlier Washington Commanders days. His rookie season was the best of his career, posting 7.5 sacks and 44 touchdowns.
Young has yet to post another season with more than 26 touchdowns and his 7.5 sacks tied his total in 2023. The issue for Young is that in 9 games with the San Francisco 49ers, he only had 2.5 sacks. The expectation was for him to succeed next to Nick Bosa, but that wasn’t the case.
If he’s healthy, Young could bring the Ravens another edge rusher, something any contending team would take. Jadeveon Clowney played some of the best football of his career with the Ravens last season and that could be a promising sign for Young.
It was clear during parts of his short stint with the 49ers that the Commanders made the right decision by trading him.
Kyle Andrews of Pro Football Network also views the Ravens as a landing spot for the former Commanders pass rusher.
“Young would be a valuable addition to a Baltimore Ravens team that needs a replacement for the exiting Jadeveon Clowney, who is 31, and Kyle Van Noy (32).
“Both Clowney (9.5) and Van Noy (9.0) had the highest sack totals of their career. However, that was before the departure of defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to become the Seattle Seahawks head coach.”
Chase Young Contract Prediction
According to Spotrac, Young is expected to sign a 1-year, $13 million deal. A team like the Baltimore Ravens could be interested in giving him that as he takes a prove-it year.
If Young shows that he can get back to what he was as a rookie and come out of Ohio State, he’d be set for a massive payday in the future.
While the Washington Commanders were hopeful that Young could become the layer that everyone expected him to be, that didn’t pan out that way.
It was an unfortunate ending to a career that looked as promising as any other in Commanders’ history.