Chase Young is the 99th day Saints player
Chase Young is returning to large extensions with higher expectations
We start our 100-day seat for the New Orleans Saints starting with the 2025 regular season opener. This season, he wore the Saints' No. 99 in the second year on the team, and was chasing Yang on the defensive end. This is Chase Young's career so far and his impact on the saints.
- Name (age): Chase Young (26)
- hometown: Hyattville, MD
- Location: Defensive end
- Height, weight: 6-foot-5, 265 lbs
- Relative exercise score: N/A.
- University: Ohio State Buckeye
- Drafting: 2020 second place (Washington Commander)
- NFL Experience: 6 seasons
- 2025 salary cap hit rate: $6,842,000
After a remarkable high school career at the Catholic Dematha, Maryland, Young is one of the highest recruits in the country. He contributed 3.5 sacks and six tackles in the 2017 freshman, before becoming a key figure in the Buckeyes’ defense. In his last two college campaigns, Young had 27 sacks and 37 tackles, while 8 more failed. He scored 21 losses and a school record of 16.5 sacks in 2019, both leading the 10 giants. They are also crucial in the national first team honors and have won the Bronko Nagurski, Chuck Bednarik and Ted Hendricks Awards.
Young is the first defensive player to be selected in the 2020 NFL draft and second place player Joe Burrow. He is the real-time force in Washington’s defense. As a rookie, Young forced 4 turnovers while recording 7.5 sacks, 12 QB hits and 10 tackles. Those numbers earn him the 2020 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. However, over the next two years, Yang's effectiveness injury was limited. In 2021 and 2022, he played in only 12 of 34 games, managing only 1.5 sacks and 3 tackles.
In 2023, Young got a good start with five sacks in the first seven games before being traded to San Francisco by Washington on the deadline. His 49ers had 3.5 sacks and 10 pressures in 12 games, including the playoffs. During the offseason, the Saints brought a one-year contract.
Yang led the 2024 men to lead the Saints in 2024 with 21 QB hits and 34 pressures. However, these losses resulted in only 5.5 sacks and 8 tackles. Recovering from a neck surgery in the offseason, New Orleans has seen enough youngsters among youngsters to re-sign him to a three-year contract extension that was reportedly worth $51 million this offseason. He is expected to be a key figure in the defense, ranking 30th, against Run, with only 39 sacks last season.
Brandon Staley was hired as the Saints' new defensive coordinator during the offseason. Staley is expected to include more 3-4 concepts in the program. Therefore, Young might see more of the representation as a standing sprint. This may highlight Yang's ability to move in space. He needs to return to the 2020 rookie of the year format, a key part of the Saints’ defensive improvement.