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Chase Young reuniting with Ohio State's Nick Bosa in NFL trade puts pair in unique company

Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAY
·4 min read
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Chase Young (right) will reunite with fellow Ohio State Buckeye alum Nick Bosa (left) after a trade Tuesday.
Chase Young (right) will reunite with fellow Ohio State Buckeye alum Nick Bosa (left) after a trade Tuesday.

The Washington Commanders made multiple trade deadline moves Tuesday, including a trade sending defensive end Chase Young to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2024 draft pick. The Commanders also sent fellow defensive end Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears for a 2024 draft pick as well.

Though you can debate which team won each NFL trade, the San Francisco 49ers received a player with a solid pedigree. Young, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2020. He's enjoying a bounce-back season after knee injuries in 2021 cut his season short and kept him off the field in 2022.

In coming to San Francisco, Young joins 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa. Bosa, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, signed a record contract before the season and continues to be one of the best edge rushers in the NFL.

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This trade marks the first time two Defensive Rookie of the Year winners are on the same roster since the Los Angeles Rams traded for Von Miller in 2021. Miller won the award in 2011 and Rams' star defensive lineman Aaron Donald won in 2014.

Young and Bosa were standout defensive lineman for Ohio State. The duo combined for 12 sacks in 2017 and 14.5 in 2018 for the Buckeyes. Tuesday's trade sets up the first time in NFL history that two players who both won Defensive Rookie of the Year and played together in college are on the same team.

But it isn't the first time college teammates have been reunited on NFL rosters. Here are a few of the recent instances of a college reunion in the NFL:

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Derek Carr and Davante Adams

This reunion is one of the few to happen via trade in recent memory. The Green Bay Packers shockingly traded the All-Pro receiver to the Las Vegas Raiders in March 2022. Green Bay received a first- and second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft in return.

Carr and Adams played together at Fresno State from 2011 through 2013. The two California natives — Adams from Palo Alto, Carr from Bakersfield — powered the Bulldogs to a top-25 ranking in 2013. Adams had a brilliant year with 131 receptions, 1719 yards, and 24 touchdowns in just 13 games. Carr threw for 5,083 yards and 50 touchdowns that season as well.

The duo reunited nine years after incredible run but it ended up being short-lived. Carr signed with the New Orleans Saints during the 2023 offseason.

Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase

Like most of these reunions, these two reunited via the NFL Draft. Burrow played with Bosa and Young at Ohio State in 2017 before transferring to LSU and winning the Heisman Trophy in 2019. Chase was one of his top targets during the national title-winning season and led the Tigers in receiving yards (1,780) and touchdowns (20).

The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Burrow first overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. One year later, the Bengals selected his top target from his Heisman campaign fourth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Chase made the most of the reunion in winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2021.

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Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle

The Miami Dolphins drafted Tagovailoa fifth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. He powered Alabama to the 2017 national championship over Georgia and played with Waddle in the 2018 and 2019 college football seasons.

After selecting Tagovailoa four picks after Burrow in 2020, the Dolphins drafted Waddle after the Bengals took Chase in 2021. The two have helped the Dolphins' offense reach new heights in 2023, including a 70-point game in Week 2.

Jalen Hurts and Devonta Smith

The Philadelphia Eagles mirrored the Dolphins' and Bengals' moves in 2020 and 2021. They drafted Hurts out of Alabama in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft and he became the full-time starter in 2021. His top target that season? Smith, the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The two played at Alabama together in 2017 and 2018.

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The 2021 Georgia Bulldogs defense in Philadelphia

This one is more than just a duo reuniting. Five defensive players on the Eagles' roster this season all played together on the 2021 Georgia Bulldogs' title-winning team:

All of these players were draft picks for the Eagles in 2022 (Dean, Davis) and 2023 (Smith, Ringo, Carter). The Eagles also traded for D'Andre Swift ahead of the 2023 season, reuniting the running back with former Bulldog teammates Dean and Davis.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chase Young trade makes for Ohio State reunion with Nick Bosa in NFL