Chase Young suffered a grade 3 ACL injury in 2021 that kept him out of much of the 2022-2023 season. When he returned he wasn’t the same dominant force we were accustomed to seeing. He seemed to still be favoring his leg and lacked the explosiveness we saw during his rookie campaign. It’s understandable as this was a significant knee injury that can take time to heal.

Back in April, the Washington Commanders decided to decline Young’s 5th-year option which raised some eyebrows. You can look at this two ways. The Commanders want to motivate Young and see if he bounces back next season. The other is the ownership factor which has yet to be official. It’s possible the Commanders are waiting for the new ownership group before making any decisions on the future. Head Coach Ron Rivera has stated more than once that the team is in a holding pattern until new ownership takes over. Either way, this decision has caused several different trade rumors to pop up. Could the Commanders make the move?

Potential Trade Candidates for Chase Young

Here’s the thing, it’s very likely the Commanders don’t trade Chase Young but that doesn’t mean teams won’t poke around. If a trade package is significant enough it may tempt Washington to make the move. They also have Montez Sweat who will be due a new contract soon and they may not be able to keep Sweat and Young.

The Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs have all been rumored to be interested in Young. Of those teams, the Chiefs make the most sense. They are obviously a contender and lost stud DE Frank Clark this offseason. What could they offer the Commanders in return? An early-round draft pick is likely the answer but it needs to be high enough to get Washington’s interest.

I fully expect the Commanders to hold onto their star despite the trade rumors. According to Albert Breer, this is the likely outcome. Chase Young has turned some heads in OTA’s as it’s looking like he is completely healthy now and ready to prove his doubters wrong.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Kansas City Chiefs were not close to being an impressive pass-rushing force last season. The Chiefs ranked 29th in sacks (31 sacks) — which trended in the opposite direction of their passing offense (fourth in passing yards and sixth in passing touchdowns). It was clear that KC needed to shop for more superb pass-rushing talent this off-season and I honestly believe the Steve Spagnuolo-led defense should feel more optimistic about their pass-rushing abilities in 2022.

The splash addition on the Chiefs DL is unequivocally the first-round pick George Karlaftis. The native of Athens, Greece certainly has the mentality to be a strong DROY candidate — as he dropped 10-15 pounds in the pre-draft process. The rook DE is also currently training with Patrick Mahomes. Bleacher Report compared Karlaftis to the legendary DE Ryan Kerrigan, who has seven seasons of 8.5+ sacks. It’s safe to say that Frank Clark will be delighted to see the 21-year-old edge rusher line up on the same DL as him.

Clark is aiming on making his fourth straight Pro Bowl appearance, but he will aim on having a bigger sack number in 2022. Clark had a mere 4.5 sacks in 2021 — which was his lowest sack tally since his rookie season. He also missed a career-high three games last season. So, a healthy & motivated Clark will aspire to return to the Pro Bowl w/ a double-digit sack number.

It should also be noted that the Chiefs best pass rusher and best defender Chris Jones wasn’t always available last season. Unfortunately, Jones also missed three games in 2021. Jones and Clark both made the Pro Bowl last season, while missing a chunk of games. The healthy DT-DE combo with a large, new friend from Greece should routinely lick their chops against opposing AFC quarterbacks that believe they can overshadow Patty Mahomes.

The post Why the Chiefs pass rush should really improve in 2022 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Kansas City Chiefs are a complex Tyreek Hill-less team in 2022. With that said, I’m going to peg three KC players that could turn heads in 2022 and 3 profiles that are honestly overrated. Let’s begin.

Underrated: Justin Reid

I’m sure that countless Chiefs fans would prefer the Honey Badger over Justin Reid, but I believe that the safety out of Stanford can be a consistent play-maker in KC next season. Chiefs Wire pointed out how Reid had a beautiful interception at OTAs yesterday. It’s clear that the gifted athlete at S is feeling more comfortable out of Houston and I believe that he should excel against offenses desperately seeking to keep pace with Patrick Mahomes.

Overrated: Frank Clark

The Chiefs have asked Frank Clark to be the most effective pass rusher since Justin Houston, but he’s only ousted 10.5 sacks in the past two seasons combined. I will admit that he has shown up in some playoff battles. Although, he slightly lived below expectations in 2020, and then he even had less production in the 2021 regular season. Despite his miraculous two Pro Bowl honors in 2020 and 2021, he hasn’t lived up to his contract (which he restructured this off-season). He will still need to be a lot more effective in the firework AFC conference with his new deal moving forward.

Underrated: Skyy Moore

The Chiefs may have spent a lot of cash on MVS, but he doesn’t carry the same potential as the rookie Skyy Moore. I expect Andy Reid to have a perfect vision for the WR that has the similar ability as Tyreek Hill and he should honestly be the x-factor in the offense. Patrick Mahomes will have countless screens and quick passes lined up for the WR that impressed scouts this summer and was a draft steal in my opinion.

Overrated: Clyde Edwards-Helaire

It seems all too true that the healthy, first-round pick in CEH needs to have his best season in 2022. The former LSU RB hasn’t been a receiving machine, efficient in a superb manner, or friendly in big moments (cough, cough, against Baltimore). I’m not quite sure that he will prove his worth in an offense that brought in R-Jo and still have impressive receiving depth. Despite Mahomes wanting the Chiefs to draft him, I don’t believe he will come close to the magic that Jamaal Charles brought to KC.

Underrated: George Karlaftis

George Karlaftis may be a late first-round rookie, but he can prove to be a stud in his first NFL season. The 6’4, 270 DE has already brought excitement to DC Steve Spagnuolo with his power. Kezirian from ESPN believes that the Chiefs rookie can even win DROY via his motor and the pass-rushing opportunities in KC.

Overrated: Andrew Wylie

The Chiefs projected starter at RT Andrew Wylie may be scrappy and reliable, but he hasn’t been very heartwarming. Kristian Gumminger from Arrowhead Pride pointed out how PFF gave Wylie a 65.2 grade in pass block leading up to January 2nd. Wylie may have re-signed to the Chiefs this summer and he can likely start, but he absolutely can’t be a liability on the edge against the juggernaut AFC West pass rushers.

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