National Football League

49ers GM John Lynch: 'Complete player' Chase Young helps run defense, too

Published Nov. 1, 2023 3:27 p.m. ET

Once upon a time, defensive ends Chase Young and Nick Bosa lined up together for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Five years later, they'll do so again with the San Francisco 49ers, who acquired Young from the Washington Commanders before Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.

San Francisco general manager John Lynch, a Hall of Fame safety, believes the acquisition will do wonders for the 49ers defense across the board.

"We think Chase is a complete player, but you bring up a great point," Lynch said Wednesday when asked about the impact that Young could have against the run. "My old D-line coach Rod Marinelli … [used to] say, ‘You have to earn the right to rush the passer.’ And you do that by playing the run well, and we’ve not been good enough there. So I think when we start doing the little things right, that gives you the opportunities, and ultimately I think we’re going to get this thing right.

"It starts with stopping the run, and we haven’t been doing that well enough, so we’ve got to do that. And then, we’ve got ample ability and options as pass rushers to start to pull this together."

The No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Young has experienced a bumpy pro career. He started strong in his rookie season, logging 7.5 sacks, 44 combined tackles, four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries, earning a Pro Bowl nod.

Young then logged just 1.5 sacks before tearing his ACL midway through the 2021 season and appeared in only three games in 2022. This year, he has five sacks, 15 combined tackles and one pass defended.

Young joins a fearsome yet underperforming 49ers defense that includes the likes of Bosa, Fred Warner, Javon Hargrave, Arik Armstead and Dre Greenlaw, among others. As a whole, they're surrendering 228.9 passing yards (19th in NFL), 86.1 rushing yards (fifth), 315.0 total yards (ninth) and 17.5 points (fifth) per game.

Does acquiring DE Chase Young solve 49ers' issues?

Despite the star power, San Francisco has compiled just 18 sacks, tied for 18th in the league. Furthermore, the Niners have surrendered 122.7 rushing yards per game over the team's current three-game losing streak.

The 49ers (5-3) have a bye in Week 9, followed by a Week 10 road contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2), which can be viewed on FOX and the FOX Sports app.

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