The New Orleans Saints are collapsing under the weight of an absurd amount of injuries, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano believe that this string of bad luck could force a Chase Young trade. The second-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, injuries, and inconsistency kept the pass rusher from earning a massive contract on the open market.
Settling for a one-year, prove-it deal in New Orleans, the Ohio State product has recorded 1.5 sacks through the season’s first six games. While he’s not playing up to his potential, he’s still a valuable contributor.
Unfortunately, the Saints are in a position where a Chase Young trade could make more sense than retaining him for the remainder of the season. If they lose to the Denver Broncos tonight, they’ll drop to 2-5 and effectively be out of the playoff picture.
Perhaps fifth-round rookie Spencer Rattler can lead the upset with Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed out with injuries, but it isn’t likely. Seeing as they’re well over the 2025 salary cap, they probably won’t be able to retain Young beyond this season, so they might as well maximize their return and see if the Detroit Lions or Baltimore Ravens could use him.
The Detroit Lions are one of the best teams in football, blessed with a strong defense, offense, and coaching staff. After making it to the NFC Championship Game last year, Detroit looks poised to make its first run at a Super Bowl.
However, their odds of bringing the Lombardi Trophy to the Motor City took a major hit when Aidan Hutchinson suffered a season-ending injury during Week 6’s blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys. With no significant depth behind the potential Defensive Player of the Year, Detroit could trade for Chase Young to try and recapture some of Hutchinson’s spark.
It goes without saying that Young is not as good as Hutchinson. While both players were taken with the second-overall pick in their respective drafts, Hutchinson is a consistent game-wrecking force on par with elite players like Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt.
Young, meanwhile, is a talented but inconsistent starter with high peaks and low floors. That might not sound like much, but it’s better than what the Lions currently have. With Hutchinson and free agent signee Marcus Davenport sidelined, a Chase Young trade would give some much-needed depth to a defense whose best healthy pass rusher is currently Josh Paschal.
The Baltimore Ravens always try to build a pass rush by committee under head coach John Harbaugh. This showed itself in 2023 when seven players finished the season with three or more sacks. While Baltimore remains among the league’s elite teams, their defense isn’t what it was, largely because they need another pass rusher.
Kyle Van Noy continues to defy Father Time, and former first-round pick Odafe Oweh is having a good season, but they could trade for someone like Chase Young to fill the departed Jadeveon Clowney role.
Much like Clowney, Young is a highly-drafted edge defender whose sack line doesn’t always speak to his impact on the game. While Clowney is more consistent, a great coaching staff like Baltimore’s could get the most out of a Chase Young trade. With the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills adding offensive help, Baltimore should counter by adding someone who can bring opposing quarterbacks to the ground.
