According to ESPN, the 49ers went seeking for major names at the NFL trade deadline, checking on the availability of Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II, Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson, and then-Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat, among others.
The cost of all three players proved too high for the 49ers, who felt they wouldn’t be able to strike a trade to enhance their squad with just hours before the 4 p.m. ET deadline on Oct. 31.
According to insiders, the Commanders decreased their asking price for defensive end Chase Young after certain clubs expressed medical concerns about him.
According to reports, Washington was reportedly wanting second- and fifth-round draft picks in exchange for Young. However, as teams voiced reservations about Young’s medicals, the Commanders reduced the asking price to the 49ers, who ended up sending a compensatory third-round pick to Washington in exchange for the former Ohio State star.
The 49ers were impressed with Young’s performance in practice last week and plan to use him “a lot” against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
“He has been rocking,” a Niners team official told ESPN.
Young will be reunited with former Ohio State teammate Nick Bosa, with whom he played the 2017 and 2018 seasons in Columbus. It is the first time in NFL history that two former Defensive Rookies of the Year from the same college club will be teammates.
San Francisco has the most defensive talent up front of any club in the league, with five first-round picks (Young, Bosa, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw, and Clelin Ferrell) and two second-round picks (Drake Jackson and Randy Gregory). In addition, the Niners have defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who received a four-year, $84 million contract last offseason.
Despite their depth on the defensive line, the 49ers couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sign Young. The Niners only had to trade the compensation third-round pick they earned for losing Ran Carthon to the Titans and DeMeco Ryans to the Texans, rather than several picks.
In exchange, San Francisco received the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft, who is having his best season after missing 22 games the previous two seasons. Young had five sacks in seven games for Washington this season.
Young, 24, is on a deal that will expire after the season and will be an unrestricted free agent. If he leaves San Francisco for a better deal somewhere, the 49ers might receive another compensatory draft selection in exchange.
