Historically, the NFL trade deadline comes and goes in a whisper. This year, though, the San Francisco 49ers made waves by acquiring defensive end Chase Young from the Washington Commanders. The Niners sent a third-round pick in exchange for the former second overall selection from the 2020 NFL draft. This marks the second year in a row that San Francisco took a big swing at the deadline in pursuit of a Super Bowl.

Last year, the team traded multiple draft picks for the rights to Christian McCaffrey, who made an immediate impact. Obviously, general manager John Lynch hopes that Young will produce a similar effect on a defense that has looked uncharacteristically porous of late. Here’s everything you need to know about Chase Young joining the already stacked defensive line of the San Francisco 49ers.

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Why San Francisco traded for Chase Young

Over the first five games of the 2023-2024 NFL season, the 49ers defense looked typically dominant. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Javon Hargrave fit in perfectly, continuing his run as one of the most effective pass rushers from the defensive tackle position, and the team traded for high-ceiling, low-floor edge rusher Randy Gregory in early October to improve an area where they were already strong.

However, against the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals, the defense got gnashed for 452 and 400 total yards, respectively. Even without Justin Jefferson, Kirk Cousins looked like Joe Montana, completing a ridiculous 77% of his passes. After the Vikings’ loss, head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to their defensive struggles:

I'm disappointed that we couldn't get them off the field. They had one punt today, we had one punt. They had one turnover, we had three turnovers. So I think when both teams only punt once, it looks like it's going to be a shootout, but we ended up turning it over two more times than them. It was a five-point game, so it's almost as simple as that.

Young’s impact

Through eight games in 2023, the Niners rank ninth in pressure rate and tied for 18th in sacks. Last season, the team ranked fifth in pass rush win rate at 46%. The franchise’s defensive philosophy under GM Lynch has always started and ended with pressure.

Hit the quarterback, make him uncomfortable, and we’ll figure out the secondary on the fly. Without that frenetic pressure on opposing QBs, the secondary, who lost a key member in Jimmie Ward to free agency, has struggled to hold up.

That’s where Chase Young comes in. Young started his NFL career on fire, recording 7.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries as a rookie. He showed all the promise of just the ninth defensive finalist in Heisman history. Unfortunately, the following season, he tore his ACL, ruptured his patellar tendon, and didn’t look like himself.

Then, the Commanders made the fateful decision to decline his fifth-year option. Normally, declining the fifth-year option raises a red flag, but with big-money deals to defensive tackles Jon Allen and Daron Payne, the Commanders opted for a rebuild. Washington also dealt defensive end Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears for more than what Young brought back.

This season, a healthy, motivated Young ranks fourth in pressures with 35 and sixth in hurries with 24 to go along with five sacks. The duo of Nick Bosa and Young should rekindle the fear of God in opposing quarterbacks. Not to mention the rest of the studs they've got on that defensive line.

Pass rush reloaded

While the Niners did make a splash with the signing of Hargrave, they also lost two productive defensive ends in Charles Omenihu and Samson Ebukam to free agency. The organization hoped that second round pick Drake Jackson from USC could step in and provide pressure opposite Bosa. Jackson has totaled three sacks and three QB hits but, of late, the opposing QBs have felt far too comfortable in the pocket.

Besides Jackson, Clelin Ferrell and Kerry Hyder Jr., have struggled to win on the outside. Ferrell owns the highest pressure rate of the group at 17%. Clearly, even before the team traded for Young as a headliner, they attempted to address the lack of pressure by acquiring the Broncos’ Gregory. Now, the group features a fearsome foursome of Young, Bosa, Arik Armstead, and Hargrave. That should be enough to reignite the Niners' top flight defense.

How do they keep getting away with this?

Some opposing fans might wonder how San Francisco keeps adding to this seemingly endless train of top-end talent, especially on the defensive line. The answer? Brock Purdy, “Mr.Irrelevant”. His average annual salary of just $934,252 balances the budget like a government handout.

The top 10 highest paid quarterbacks all make over $40,000,000, which takes up nearly 20% of the $224,800,000 total salary cap. By comparison, Purdy’s contract takes up .004 of the total cap, which leaves literally boatloads of money for the Niners to spend on the rest of the roster. Adding insult to injury, most fans would probably take Purdy over Daniel Jones, Russell Wilson, and maybe Deshaun Watson, who all rank in the top 10.

The organization also reaps the benefits of hiring African American coaches and front office executives. Thanks to the Rooney rule, the 49ers receive compensatory draft picks because Ran Carthon and Demeco Ryans were hired away by other teams.

They could also get a compensatory pick due to guard Mike McGlinchey's departure for the Broncos in the offseason. Essentially, San Francisco got Chase Young without even using one of their own draft picks. We will see if the move turns into a “rich getting richer” scenario.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference and all contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless stated otherwise.

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