A few of the top edge rushers in the 2024 free agent class have already found a new home. One of the more intriguing options still available is Chase Young, who has a trio of visits lined up. Carolina and New Orleans are expected host Young later this week, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The Titans will also bring him in, colleague Ian Rapoport notes.
While Young’s Panthers meeting is taking place Thursday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football notes the former Defensive Rookie of the Year will make his trip to New Orleans on Friday.
Entering the NFL with massive expectations, Young seemed destined for a long and productive Commanders career given his play in 2020. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors that season, but things did not go according to plan after that. A torn ACL and a ruptured patellar tendon left the former No. 2 pick sidelined for considerable stretches, and his time in Washington ultimately came to an end at the trade deadline.
By the time the Commanders elected to deal Young to San Francisco, fellow defensive end (and pending free agent) Montez Sweat had been traded. The latter’s absence seemed to suggest Washington would attempt to re-sign Young, but instead his walk year concluded with the 49ers. Playing opposite Nick Bosa, Young posted only 2.5 sacks in nine regular season games with San Francisco (albeit while logging a much smaller workload). The Ohio State alum chipped in with one sack in the team’s run to the Super Bowl, but it would come as a surprise if the NFC champions made a major effort to retain him after his 2023 showing.
Still only 24, Young profiles as having some of the highest upside amongst free agents on either side of the ball this year. In both Carolina and New Orleans, he would be counted on as a key edge rush producer. The Panthers finally put an end to the Brian Burns saga on Monday, dealing him to the Giants. That has created a major vacancy along the edge, as Burns was the team’s most proficient sack artist.
Carolina was last in the league in sacks in 2023, and New Orleans did not fare much better (28th). The Saints were led in that department by Carl Granderson, but fellow defensive end Cameron Jordan was limited to a pair of sacks. Adding Young as a (potentially) impactful rusher off the edge would be beneficial to a Saints team needing to get younger on defense.
Tennessee saw 2023 sack leader Denico Autry agree to a deal with the Texans yesterday, so a replacement will be needed. Harold Landry and Arden Key are both under contract for 2024, but another rotational option would help the Titans’ front seven as the team looks to rebound from a poor performance last season. Young appears prepared to take his time vetting potential landing spots. .
He can do better than Carolina
He’s going to want the paycheck lol
I’d love him to be a Saint but I can’t see the money working if he has any other offers
There are teams all of us imagine we’d never sign with if we were lucky enough to play professional sports and Carolina is one of them. Why does anyone go there?
Chase come to the NYG. They should have drafted you from the beginning.
Money and opportunity. Just like the rest of us.