3 reasons Commanders would be insane to trade Chase Young for star QB

2. One down year doesn’t mean he’s not destined for greatness

This is crazy to us. A former Defensive Rookie of the Year who received an 85% share of the first-place votes is suddenly average or doesn’t have a high ceiling because he struggled as a sophomore with offenses giving him more attention?

Do we realize how ridiculous that sounds?

Yes, Young had a disappointing 2021. There’s no hiding from that. Three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and three QB hits over nine games is a far cry from what Washington expected when they invested the second overall pick in Young.

However, to say he performed poorly is hyperbole. According to Pro Football Focus, Young generated 24 pressures, 17 hurries and 16 run stops. Project that over an 18-game sample size and you’re talking 48 pressures, 34 hurries and 32 run stops. Those numbers don’t look so bad, don’t they?

In addition, Young was also one of the best run defenders at his position. The Ohio State product’s 84.5 run defense grade from PFF ranked fourth among edge rushers behind DeMarcus Lawrence, Von Miller and Cameron Jordan.

We fully acknowledge Young needs to produce more sacks and splash plays, but this notion that he was a liability in 2021 is so exaggerated.

Ron Rivera noted the former Buckeye struggled navigating chip blocks. Give Young and the coaching staff the offseason to figure out how to overcome this obstacle. Not all highly-touted edge rushers enjoy immediate success and Young has a dominant rookie campaign to fall back on.

If you want to let a lackluster nine-game stretch convince you that Young isn’t destined for greatness, be our guest.

We, on the other hand, are keeping the faith in No. 99.