John Lynch returned on the eve of the NFL trade deadline, unsure if his team would make a move on Halloween.
But in the end, the 49ers made their move, acquiring Chase Young at the deadline.
The San Francisco 49ers general manager revealed how the trade went down on Wednesday.
Lynch and the front office have been watching Young for a few weeks now, impressed with the weekly tape of the 2023 season.
But after a restless night, the general manager knew he had to take action at a high cost, contacting his teammates.
former colleague and current chief executive of Commander Martin Mayhew to reach an agreement.
Finally, the 49ers made a move they felt they needed to make, one that could bring a spark to the team’s struggling defense.
“But ultimately, we think it’s going to give us a boost,” John Lynch said of Chase Young, via conference call.
“We really like Chase’s film, we like his health aspect.
Obviously, like any player, all of these deals are either agreed in principle or contingent on the successful completion of medical tests, so he has to overcome this hurdle today.
» Chase Young, 24, will fly to the Bay Area on Wednesday, ready to participate in physical training.
before becoming an official member of the 49ers.
But if his tape could stand on its own, that would tell you he’s returned to his universal form.
Young recorded five sacks this season for Washington, including 15 total tackles, nine quarterback hits and 40 pressures in 2023.
After struggling through two seasons without injury, his speed and agility appear to have reappeared.
And the 49ers agree.
“I think the proof is in what happens on the field and he’s played a lot, he looks very good.
It looks like he’s fit after what he’s done on the field,” Lynch said.
His productivity also comes with increased playing time, logging 70% or more snaps per week for the Commanders.
In fact, from Weeks 4-7, Young was on the field for 89% or more of the team’s defensive snaps.
Now heading to the Red and Yellows, the speedster won’t have to do much thanks to the talent on the other side of the line.
But he will be used more than that, as the 49ers line up near Boom Inn Run’s defense this season.
Chase Young will also be asked to help in this area, capable of both passing and running for his new team.
“We think Chase is a complete player.
.You have to earn the right to rush the passer and you do that by playing the run well, and we weren’t good enough there.
” When we start doing small things, it gives you opportunities and eventually I think we’ll get to this and all of these things, but that’s certainly true.
We need to strengthen this, it starts with stopping the race.
And you know, we didn’t do a good enough job.
But that’s the main reason they added Young to their extremely talented unit, to make the old force their biggest weapon going forward.
“We put a lot of resources into it.
These guys don’t just have to be good,” Lynch said.
“They have to be really good, dominant and devastating.
I feel like it’s on its way.
It needs everyone.
John Lynch also pointed out that even though the 49ers added a star player this time, you’d think they’d have to.
Lynch reiterated: “One thing we’ve said a lot after this difficult time is that people need to look inward, not outward.
“Because there is no magic pill, the answer is right in this building.
We don’t feel like we necessarily have to do anything [at the deadline] and we’re not going to react to our recent streak.
But from the beginning we felt it was the right thing to happen.
And in the end we thought this was something that would really work for us.
