The rich get richer.
The San Francisco 49ers acquired defensive end Chase Young as part of a trade that'll send a third-round pick to the Washington Commanders, both teams announced Wednesday.
San Francisco will send a compensatory selection to Washington for Young, reports ESPN's Adam Schefter. The 49ers are projected to receive two compensatory third-round picks for the offseason losses of offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey, general manager Ran Carthon, and head coach DeMeco Ryans.
Young, the 2020 No. 2 pick, is in the last year of his rookie contract after having his fifth-year option declined by Washington in April.
The Ohio State product took the NFL by storm, racking up 7.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 2020 en route to claiming the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. However, Young missed the second half of the 2021 season and the first part of the 2022 campaign while recovering from a torn ACL. The 24-year-old looks healthy again in 2023, racking up 15 tackles, nine QB hits, and five sacks in seven games.
Landing Young is another splash for a San Francisco defense that added top free agent Javon Hargrave in free agency and recently acquired Randy Gregory from the Denver Broncos.
The 49ers boasted football's top-ranked defense in 2022 and are still solid in 2023. However, they haven't been as effective at generating sacks, ranking only 18th in that category through eight weeks. The Niners began this season 5-0 but have since lost three straight.
San Francisco has been one of the league's most aggressive teams on the days leading up to the trade deadline since general manager John Lynch took over in 2017:
49ers under Lynch have been most aggressive pre-deadline front office in NFL. All acquisitions have become positive contributors:
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) October 31, 2023
2017: Jimmy Garoppolo
2019: Emmanuel Sanders
2020: Jordan Willis
2021: Charles Omenihu
2022: Christian McCaffrey
2023: Randy Gregory, Chase Young
In San Francisco, Young will reunite with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, his former Ohio State teammate who was drafted second overall in 2019.
Young is the second high-profile Commanders defender traded on Tuesday after Montez Sweat, who was sent to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a second-round pick. Sweat and Young led Washington with 6.5 and five sacks, respectively, through this season's first eight weeks.
The Commanders kicked off a new era after new owner Josh Harris acquired the team, and they became sellers after Washington suffered its fifth loss in six games on Sunday to drop to 3-5 this campaign.
The 49ers are set to visit the Commanders in Week 17.
