The 49ers are hoping Chase Young can bolster the underperforming defense
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Given the San Francisco 49ersGiven the track record since coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch arrived in 2017, it shouldn’t surprise the Niners traded a third-round draft pick for the Washington commanders for defensive end Chase Young on Tuesday.
What’s surprising is that the Niners, who have never been afraid to invest draft capital or serious money on defense or the defensive line, found themselves in a position where they believed they needed to make another big move there.
The 49ers have reached the NFC Championship Game in three of the last four years, thanks in large part to defense serving as the foundation of their championship hopes.
That is likely to be the case again this season. But the last three games – all losses – have dramatically changed that perception. That’s why adding Young isn’t necessarily about making the Niners’ defense the reason they can win the Super Bowl, but rather about making sure it doesn’t become the reason they don’t win the Super Bowl win.
After a 2022 season in which they ranked first in points allowed per game (16.3) and expected defensive points (89.58), among other things, the 49ers signed defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to four years, $84 million in the offseason.
The addition of Hargrave should help offset the loss of coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who left to become head coach Houston Texansand important defenders like the defensive back Jimmy WardLinebackers Azeez Al-Shair and defensive linemen Charles Omenihu And Samson Ebukamall of whom left free agency.
Shanahan hired veteran coach Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator. Shanahan believed Wilks’ experience as a defensive backs coach could increase production from the secondary without changing the way the Niners stuff the run and rush the passer.
The early results of these offseason changes have been good, as the Niners ranked first in the NFL in points allowed per game (13.6), fifth in defensive EPA (33.98), and sixth in points allowed per game (33.98). Takeaways (9) ranked while winning their first five games. Over the past three weeks, those rankings have fallen to 24th (24.0), 32nd (minus-16.49) and 13th (4), respectively, as the Niners have lost three straight and to 5: 3 fall back.
During that three-game span, the Niners’ defensive woes were widespread. They struggled to stop the run, didn’t consistently pressure or sack the quarterback, and even failed to attack consistently.
“This is what worried me the most,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday.
While it’s too much to ask Young to fix all of these issues, the Niners are once again betting that fixing their pass-rush issues will lead to a more holistic improvement on defense.
Through the first eight games, San Francisco ranked 24th in pressure rate (26.3%) and 27th in sacks per drop back (5.3%), despite a 50.6 pass-rush win rate %, which corresponds to ninth place in the league. The discrepancy between the first two numbers and the third can be attributed to the teams getting the ball out quickly, but also to the fact that there is no constant threat of winning one-on-one chances on the other side Nick Bosa.
Because of the talent he has in his turn (Hargrave and Arik Armstead (They join Bosa as starters.) Young should have plenty of favorable matchups and help create a few more.
And while the Niners didn’t strengthen their secondary on Tuesday, Young’s presence should give opposing quarterbacks fewer escape options when the pocket breaks down and allow Wilks to make tighter coverage calls.
“We can provide better coverage on the back end, whether man or zone, and allow the quarterback to hold the ball a little longer,” Wilks said last week. “When I look at the tape I think we’re close, I think we’re pretty close. At some point we’ll get there. I’m not really pushing about the lack of production at the moment because I feel like it’s going to come to that.”
Maybe Young can speed up this process. After tearing the ACL and patellar tendon in his right knee in 2021, Young was finally healthy and looked more like the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year, who had 7.5 sacks, than the player who appeared in 12 games over the past two seasons had a total of 1.5 sacks.
In seven games this season, Young has 25 pressures (eighth in the NFL), five sacks and 16 incompletions (tied for fourth) and has a pass-rush win rate of 24.8% (11th). He also had a solid performance in the running game, recording six tackles for loss.
In San Francisco, Young is expected to immediately assume the starting role opposite Bosa, his close friend and former Ohio State teammate. The Niners have their bye this week, giving Young additional time to acclimate to his new team and plan.
And if he’s as fit as the Niners envision, that should go a long way toward getting their once-vaunted defense back to championship caliber.
