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FanSided

The foundational players of the Washington Football Team

By Jacob Troutman

LANDOVER, MARYLAND - JANUARY 09: Defensive end Chase Young #99 of the Washington Football Team warms up during the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField on January 09, 2021 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MARYLAND - JANUARY 09: Defensive end Chase Young #99 of the Washington Football Team warms up during the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField on January 09, 2021 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 03: Defensive end Chase Young #99 of the Washington Football Team reacts after winning 20-14 over the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 03, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 03: Defensive end Chase Young #99 of the Washington Football Team reacts after winning 20-14 over the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 03, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

2. Chase Young

This, to be honest, is honestly a 1a, 1b scenario for the top two spots for the Washington Football Team. You can flip these players and not many would argue. I put Chase Young at second due to the overall talent of the defensive line.

That does not take away from the immense talent Young possesses, however. Chase Young very well could be challenging Aaron Donald for the best defensive player in football soon. He is that good.

In just his rookie year, he was already commanding double and sometimes triple teams. Despite the added attention, he still posted a very quality season. He posted 7.5 sacks and was a menace as a run defender.

Young is already a very cerebral player, given he’s only played one year in the NFL. He never lost contain or was overly fooled by a play-action fake. Young, like the number one player on this list, was meant to play football. He is the cornerstone of one of the best defenses in football.

To truly reach the elite level, which is a good bet that he will, Young needs to become more refined with his pass-rush technique. He needs to be better equipped to have more tools in his belt when the opposing tackle beats his primary move.

Young already has the elite athletic tools and has an advanced understanding of the game as he enters only his second year in the league. He is only 22 years old, yet already is so good.

I will keep this short because what I said about Young has already been said before. The player many fans wanted Washington to “tank” for in 2019, is as advertised. And the defense would be much different without him.

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