3 critical observations from Commanders trading Montez Sweat and Chase Young

Commanders present

The Washington Commanders are not as good a team as they were heading into Week 8 after trading Montez Sweat and Chase Young. And that team had lost five of its last six games against mostly mediocre opponents.

This does not bode well for the remainder of the 2023 season.

But if you are looking for silver linings, try this one on for size...

James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill, Efe Obada, K.J. Henry, Andre Jones, Jr., and Joshua Pryor. The Commanders have a large group of young edge players who mostly come from the later rounds of the draft or free agency.

The ones who have gotten some playing time - mainly Smith-Williams, Toohill, and Obada - have proven they belong in the NFL. The others all have intriguing skill sets. And now they will all have a real chance to prove what they can bring to the table.

The Commanders do not need for them all to become as good as Sweat and Young. If one of them really takes a leap forward and a couple of others show they are legit NFL players, the team does have enough players to pick up for what was just traded away.