The Washington Commanders are reportedly ready to consider trading edge rusher Chase Young this off-season.
Young is preparing for his fourth season in the NFL with the Commanders after being drafted with the second overall pick in the 2020 draft. Since then he has gone on to be a regular of the Commanders’ defensive line.
However, the Commanders recently declined to activate the fifth year option in his contract, meaning he will be a free agent at the end of the upcoming season. Despite that, though, Young recently said that it wasn’t a concern for him.
"Not disappointing at all," Young told ESPN on Tuesday. "I'm ready to go."
The 24-year-old suffered an ACL injury in November 2021 which has severely restricted his playing time. In fact, he was only able to play three games last season as a result of the effects of the injury.
According to a report in Sports Illustrated, the Commanders face a difficult job handing Young a new contract. This is mainly due to already handing out deals to Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne in recent years.
Allen was given a four-year contract extension worth $72 million in 2021, while Payne was also handed a four-year contract as recently as March, worth $90m. With both players in the Commanders defensive line, alongside Young, it’s been claimed that the NFC East franchise could find it “tough” to hand a new deal to Young.
As a result, the article claims that a trade has not been completely ruled out this off-season. While it’s been stated that the Commanders are “unlikely” to move Young on, it’s also said that they could be willing to “listen” to potential offers that come their way.
The result of Young’s injury meant that last season was more of a case of the Commanders’ defensive end getting more confidence in his knee. And Commanders head coach Ron Rivera recently spoke about Young and what he hopes to have him achieve this coming season.
"We just want to see him pick up where he left off," Rivera told ESPN. "He was starting to play faster and faster and just love to see him get out there and really run around and kind of cut a loose and not be tentative. And that's probably the biggest thing for him."
Young recently took part in the Commanders minicamp on Monday, as he looks to be available for pre-season and the Week 1 opener against the Arizona Cardinals on September 10. Before then, though, there are pre-season games against the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals which will give Young a chance to build up his game fitness.
