Defensive end Chase Young is set to sign a one-year, fully guaranteed $13 million deal with the New Orleans Saints. This news comes after Young was traded from the Washington Commanders to the San Francisco 49ers during the past season. Sources have reported that Young visited the Saints on Monday and was impressed by the setup of the team’s defense.
The 49ers acquired Young at the trade deadline by sending a compensatory third-round pick to Washington. During his time in San Francisco, Young quickly became a key part of the Niners’ defense, particularly in rush packages. He showcased his talent by recording 2.5 sacks and 10 tackles with 16 pressures in just nine regular-season games. Young also managed to secure a sack in the 49ers’ Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
In the 2023 season, Young achieved a career-high with 7.5 sacks, as well as 25 tackles and 41 pressures combined between his time in Washington and San Francisco. The Commanders had drafted Young as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. However, his season was marred with a torn right ACL in 2021, limiting his appearances to just 12 games over two seasons.
The Saints have struggled in the pass-rusher market recently, with their 34 sacks in the 2023 season marking the lowest total since 2016. Despite investing in high draft picks for pass-rushers like Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey, the team has not seen the desired results. Turner was hampered by injuries, playing in only two games, while Foskey was mostly a healthy scratch throughout the season.
With the signings of Carl Granderson and Cameron Jordan to extensions last fall, the Saints have added experience to their defensive line. Jordan, a 2011 first-round pick, was the last pass-rusher for the Saints to achieve double-digit sacks, finishing with 12.5 sacks in the 2021 season. Despite dealing with multiple injuries, Jordan played in every game last season and managed to secure 2.5 sacks.