Steelers are among the favorites to land Pro Bowl pass rusher
Two things you can never have enough of in pro football are pass rushers and corners. Every team doesn't have enough good ones, and every team is constantly looking for more. Well if the latest odds surrounding one popular name come true, Pittsburgh would be doing a lot more than just adding depth along the […]
Two things you can never have enough of in pro football are pass rushers and corners.
Every team doesn't have enough good ones, and every team is constantly looking for more.
Well if the latest odds surrounding one popular name come true, Pittsburgh would be doing a lot more than just adding depth along the defensive line.
Despite the lofty expectations placed on Commanders pass rusher Chase Young in college and then cemented after his rookie year, the talented sack artist has been unable to make due on his second overall draft status in 2020.
A rookie season that earned him rookie of the year on defense, and a trip to the Pro Bowl was followed up by a sophomore campaign cut short due to an ACL tear, one that would linger in 2022 where he only played in three games.
The lack of game reps was likely a catalyst in the Commanders' decision to decline Young's fifth-year option, signaling that he may be on the outs in Washington following the upcoming season.
That has spurned all sorts of trade rumors and betting odds for Young's next franchise, with the Pittsburgh Steelers landing in the top five of BetOnline.ag's odds to be the next home for the talented pass rusher.
And if you're wondering why that is, perhaps I jog your memory with a viral moment between Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin and Chase Young before a regular season game in 2020:
So maybe it was just a genuine exchange between Tomlin and Young. We know how much the ol' ball coach loves defensive linemen, as you can spot him on the field interacting with pass rushers at the Senior Bowl in Mobile year after year.
Or maybe he was planting a seed for the future, something he is very well known to do with presumptive free agents and former draft visits, with Markus Golden being the most recent example of that.
Now, not to rain on anyone's parade, but Young should return fully healthy and well removed from his ACL injury this fall. If he does, you can expect him to pickup up where he left off after his rookie season.
That means that Washington would have first bid at the pass rusher (something they have said they publically want to do) and that his price tag would be a pretty penny.
Pittsburgh already has one superstar pass rusher on a massive deal in T.J. Watt, with another name potentially coming due soon.
So it may just be a talking point rather than an actual possibility, but it is intriguing nonetheless as a healthy Chase Young in Pittsburgh is something all Yinzers can get behind.
Featured image via: © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
