4 Commanders that must step up after Montez Sweat and Chase Young trades

Casey Toohill - Commanders DL

It's been an extremely limited sample size, but Casey Toohill could be the player that benefits most from the Washington Commanders trading Chase Young and Montez Sweat before the 2023 deadline. This is due to how well the unheralded player is currently performing from a rotational role.

The defensive lineman emerged as the personification of doing more with less this season. Toohill's featured in just 20 percent of the team's defensive snaps, but he's managed to accumulate four sacks, five quarterback hits, five pressures, and three tackles for loss during this span.

This sort of production warrants further examination from a starting role now that Young and Sweat are no longer on the books. Toohill is out of contract next spring, so the added motivation is there for all to see if he can maximize the opportunity in front of him.

If nobody on the Commanders' defensive edge steps up, then it becomes a top priority either via free agency or the 2024 NFL Draft. However, there is a significant amount of intrigue in Toohill when one considers how encouraging his development has been this season overall.

Should the Commanders place Toohill and Jams Smith-Williams on the edge, they'll go from two first-round selections to a pair of seventh-rounders in starting roles. That is a wild turn of events and an obvious indictment of how ownership perceives the team's current state under head coach Ron Rivera.