Could Chiefs explore trade for Commanders DE Chase Young?
After a promising rookie campaign, Washington Commanders DE Chase Young has mostly disappointed since being drafted second overall behind Joe Burrow in the 2020 NFL draft.
He posted a Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign, recording 7.5 sacks, 44 tackles, and three forced fumbles in 2020. The 24-year-old pass rusher suffered a torn ACL in 2021, only appearing in 11 games over the last two seasons. In that time, the former second-overall pick has produced 1.5 sacks and 26 tackles.
This offseason, the Commanders declined Young’s fifth-year option, leaving his future with Washington uncertain. On Tuesday, NFL insider Albert Breer reported that the Commanders could be open to trade inquiries surrounding Young.
“Teams coming out of the spring thinking they need more help may make trade calls on Young,” Breer said. “It seems unlikely the Washington brass would move him ahead of a must-win year, but I know they’d be open to listening.”
Could the Kansas City Chiefs be a potential landing spot for the former top-three pick?
Brett Veach has shown a willingness to take a swing on talented players that could come at a discount price. Kadarius Toney is a perfect example.
This past season, the Chiefs acquired Toney, a former first-round pick in 2021, for a third- and sixth-round pick. The former Giants wideout’s nagging injuries and other factors led to his departure from New York.
Young faces the same type of question marks, as far as injuries go, and it could be the perfect opportunity for Veach to strike a deal. The only selling point the Commanders can make to a team is that Young is a No. 2 pick that had a stellar rookie season. However, injuries and poor performance in the last two seasons will surely drop his price tag.
There are certainly arguments for both sides of the discussion of whether or not the Chiefs should explore the possibility of acquiring Young. As stated earlier, because Young has struggled the last two seasons, and the Commanders declined his fifth-year option, the price tag becomes much more affordable in the interim. Giving up a mid-round pick for a player who has shown in the past that he can be highly productive could prove smart business if he’s able to turn things around in Kansas City.
Playing alongside Chris Jones could also open up opportunities for Young. A player of Young’s caliber should be capable of exploiting one-man protection, as Jones will often be occupying multiple interior offensive linemen.
Kansas City could use another pass rusher at its disposal. They do have a pair of young first-round edge rushers in George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah. Karlaftis will be entering his second season in the NFL and could potentially take on more of a leadership role. Anudike-Uzomah will certainly have rookie growing pains and has missed rookie minicamp and OTAs up to this point, while recovering from thumb surgery.
For the Chiefs, the biggest detriment to getting a deal done is the salary cap. The team has under $1 million in cap space and the acquiring team in a trade for Young will owe him $5.3 million in guaranteed salary. Kansas City has ways to free salary cap space, but it’s not just as simple as extending a player to sign another.
Trading for Young could potentially be a one-year proposition. That is something some Chiefs fans may not be thrilled with, but if acquiring Young helps the team hoist a Lombardi Trophy in 2023, there will be little rebuttal to the move. Either way, it is understandable whatever K.C. decides in this hypothetical situation. Trading for Young makes sense for a contending team like the Chiefs. However, Kansas City could feel confident in its current personnel and could consider a move not worth the risk.
