Getty Head coach Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions have been predicted to trade for 2020 Pro Bowl defensive end Chase Young.
The Detroit Lions will face the Kansas City Chiefs in about 12 weeks. But until then, it doesn’t look like rumors that Detroit could trade for defensive end Chase Young will be going away.
CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan was the latest to connect Young to the Lions. Sullivan projected the Lions to deal for Young in one of his five bold predictions for the rest of the offseason.
“To most observers, the Lions are the leaders in the clubhouse to become the next dominant team in the division and they seize the opportunity by continuing to load up on defense and dealing for Commanders pass rusher Chase Young,” Sullivan wrote. “Washington declined to pick up Young’s fifth-year option earlier this offseason, possibly spelling the end of his tenure with the franchise.
“When healthy, Young is arguably a generational talent and showed during his rookie season that he can be a game-wrecker.
“That said, injuries have proven to be a major speed bump in his career to this point, which allows the Lions to swoop in and buy low on someone who could help catapult the defense to another level if everything works out.”
Young earned a spot on the NFC Pro Bowl roster during his rookie season for the Washington Commanders in 2020. But since then, he’s played only 12 games because of a serious knee injury.
Lions Potentially ‘Buying Low’ on Chase Young
Trading for Young this offseason is a bit complicated.
As Sullivan noted, the Commanders declined to extend the fifth-year option to the 24-year-old. That means he will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Therefore, teams interested in trading for Young will not only have to ensure that he’s healthy again, but must also be planning to commit to the defensive end on another contract. Otherwise, Young is a rental player.
The former No. 2 overall pick has missed 22 games over the past two seasons because he torn his right ACL and patellar tendon in 2021. Patellar tendon tears are often regarded as the most difficult injury to recover from for football players.
In 2020, Young appeared to be every bit the generational player draft experts hyped him to be out of college. He posted 7.5 sacks with 10 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, 4 forced fumbles and 4 pass defenses as he won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
But he only has 1.5 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 4 quarterback hits, 2 forced fumbles and 2 pass defenses in his last 12 games.
That makes acquiring Young risky. But because of the risk, the Lions could “buy low” on the young pass rusher in the hopes that he makes a full recovery in his knee.
Sullivan did not project what type of compensation would be needed for the Lions to acquire Young. Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton proposed the Lions send a 2024 third-round pick and edge rusher Julian Okwara to the Commanders for Young.
Lions Favorite to Land Young in NFL Trade
Sullivan can place his name in a line of experts who have linked the Lions to Young.
Moton proposed his trade idea for the Lions to land Young on June 8. Sullivan’s co-worker at CBS Sports, Cody Benjamin named Detroit one of five possible landing spots for Young in May.
On June 9, oddsmakers labeled the Lions the organization with the best odds of being Young’s next team if he were to move on from Washington this offseason.
The Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, New York Giants, Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints were the other top five possible destinations for Young according to oddsmakers.
Young trade rumors began in earnest when Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported on June 6 that he was aware the Commanders would “be open to listening” to trade offers for Young this summer.
