Saints’ Chase Young Signing Deemed Questionable Move

The New Orleans Saints landed one of the top edge rushers on the free-agent market when they signed Chase Young to a one-year, $13 million deal.

However, Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay does not like the move.

Kay feels that the Saints overpaid for Young, who has yet to prove that he can produce at a consistent level since entering the NFL in 2020.

He questions why New Orleans will be paying Young the same annual value as fellow pass rusher Carl Granderson, who recently signed an extension with the Saints.

Young, who played his collegiate football at Ohio State, was originally selected by the Washington Commanders with the second overall of the NFL Draft four years ago.

He enjoyed an impressive rookie campaign, racking up 44 tackles, 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and a defensive touchdown en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.

Since then, however, it has not been smooth sailing for Young.

Nine games into his sophomore season, Young tore his ACL, and the following year, he appeared in just three contests due to his recovery. Between 2021 and 2022, Young totaled 1.5 sacks.

This past year, Young seemed to be making a resurgence, as he registered 5.5 sacks in his first seven games of the season. However, the Commanders then traded him to the San Francisco 49ers at the deadline, and from that moment on, his production stunted, as he posted just 2.5 sacks in nine games with the 49ers.

That was in spite of playing alongside elite pass rusher Nick Bosa.

New Orleans amassed a grand total of 34 sacks in 2023, so you can understand why it may have felt the need to make a play for Young in free agency.

But there is no question that it’s a risky signing.

We’ll see if Chase Young pans out in the Bayou next season.