2 reasons the Commanders should keep Montez Sweat over Chase Young in 2024

Should the Washington Commanders give Chase Young or Montez Sweat a new contract if it ends up being a choice between the two in 2024?

While the consensus is that the Washington Commanders will only keep one of their star edge players, there is still a possibility the franchise will keep both long-term. There have been mock trades for both Chase Young and Montez Sweat circulating the internet, although nothing concrete has emerged yet.

In an article, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated recently reported on the Commanders' looming decision regarding Young and Sweat. And the insider highlighted how difficult it might be to keep them both on the books in 2024.

"Chase Young's reporting to Commander's minicamp on Monday again highlights the situation Washington is in with its edge rushers. The Commanders have already paid Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen on the interior of the defensive line, and giving two more pass rushers, in Young and Montez Sweat, big contracts might be tough. So as Young tries to prove he can get healthy and back to himself again, he and Sweat might be competing for the last spot."

Albert Breer, Sports Illustrated

Per Breer, the team will likely keep either Sweat or Young. The franchise has already invested $72 million in defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and $11.5 million of this year's cap is going to Sweat, who the team recently exercised his fifth-year option.

The Commanders also gave a brand new $90 million deal with $59 million guaranteed to defensive tackle Daron Payne after an outstanding 2022 season. That's a lot of money tied up to the trenches of a middle-of-the-pack at best team. 

So today, let's focus on Sweat, the player the Commanders should invest in the long term. We have two reasons for that.

Commanders cannot be fooled by potential

Many of you may be upset by this thought. But despite going 21 picks later than Chase Young, teammate Montez Sweat is a freak athlete with elite skills of his own.

The 6-foot-6, 262-pound defender blew up his NFL Scouting Combine by running the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds. In comparison, Young's was 4.65 seconds.

The biggest difference between the two prospects was collegiate production. Young garnered a 99 production score from NFL.com's Lance Zierlein versus a score of 88 for Sweat. 

While Sweat had a slower start to his professional journey, he has blossomed into a Pro Bowl talent at the edge position.  While Young can say the same, it's been a concerning trend over the last two seasons that cannot be ignored.

Sweat had 107 out of his 165 career tackles register as a 'stop' according to Pro Football Focus. This stat counts a tackle as one that constitutes a failure for the offense - something else that proves the former Mississippi State star is a formidable edge.

In short, he consistently made big-time tackles when the Washington Commanders needed it. Pro Football Focus recently ranked him as a top-10 edge presence in the league, too. 

Montez Sweat is the more dependable option for Commanders

This is pretty straightforward.

Chase Young has missed almost two seasons as an NFL player in his short career and has had major knee surgeries. If the Washington Commanders knew he would return and be his former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year self again, they would have already given him a contract.

Those in power didn't because they don't. No one knows how Young will perform when he returns.

The Commanders have already made their interior defensive linemen the highest-paid in football. It is not a smart business decision to give another large contract on the front four to a player with major injury concerns.

Montez Sweat, who has had one minor injury keep him from a few games in his career, is the better long-term bet. He gives the Commanders a player they already know and can depend upon. 

Along with his clean bill of health, Sweat comes in as one of the NFL's elite run defenders, registering three top-10 campaigns in Pro Football Focus' run defense grade. In two of them, he placed in the top five.

Sweat gives you Pro Bowl production as a run defender at his worst, but that is just his floor. If he begins to rack up a few more sacks in a season, the edge figure will be talked about with the elite defenders in the game.