SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers got some needed help for their struggling defense, acquiring edge rusher Chase Young from the Washington Commanders for a third-round draft pick.
The teams reached the deal just before Tuesday’s deadline with the 49ers sending Washington the compensatory pick they were set to receive at the end of the third round for losing Ran Carthon to Tennessee as general manager and DeMeco Ryans to Houston as head coach last offseason.
Young will team up with his former Ohio State teammate Nick Bosa to give the Niners (5-3) a formidable edge rushing duo and provide a needed boost for a team on a three-game losing streak.
Young was the second overall pick in the 2020 draft — a year after Bosa went No. 2 to San Francisco — and has been playing at a high level this season after two injury-plagued years.
Young has five sacks in seven games this season — two more than anyone on the 49ers — and is tied for eighth in the league with 38 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
He won AP Defensive Rookie of the Year with 7 1/2 sacks in 2020, but only played 12 games the past two seasons because of a knee injury.
After a fast start to the season, San Francisco’s defense has struggled during the recent losing streak. The Niners had no sacks on 45 pass attempts in a loss to Minnesota in Week 7 and were picked apart last week by Joe Burrow and Cincinnati.
They hope the addition of Young to a defensive line that already includes Bosa; defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead; and recently acquired edge rusher Randy Gregory will help San Francisco return to its dominant form.
The Niners rank 27th in the NFL this season by generating sacks on 5.5% of pass plays, after being fifth over the previous two seasons at 7.5%.
Young is the second defensive end traded away by Washington on Tuesday. The Commanders earlier shipped Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears for a 2024 second-round draft pick.
NOTES: San Francisco created a roster spot for Young by releasing CB Anthony Brown. … The Niners also signed OL Jesse Davis to the team’s practice squad for depth with starting LG Aaron Banks out a few weeks with turf toe. .. CB Kendall Sheffield was released from the practice squad.
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AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report
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