Washington made some gutsy moves before the trade deadline

There was a lot of talk about how Washington would possibly be moving on from one of their young outside linebackers the last few weeks; The decision was between keeping Montez Sweat or Chase Young. The former defensive rookie of the year, Young, has been slowly returning to form after dealing with his ACL tear nearly two years ago.

While Young was sidelined with his knee injury, Montez Sweat showed his ability to perform at a high level and get to the opposing quarterbacks. The emergence of Sweat and the return of Young put Washington in a sticky spot, as they have already dished out big contracts on the defensive line. The salary cap in the NFL is a tough thing to manage, and no team wants to have the majority of their salary cap go to one position group unless it’s the quarterback. The commanders have drafted their starting four defensive linemen all in the first round, which means eventually their contracts will be up around similar time frames.

Coming into this season, teams around the league knew that either Young or Sweat would possibly become available at the trade deadline, but nobody expected both to be available. After Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, the Commanders chances of making it to the postseason were slim, and that is what most likely gave them the courage to trade not only Montez Sweat but also Chase Young!

Sweat was sent to Chicago for a 2024 second-round pick, and Young was sent to San Francisco for a 2024 third-rounder, as he will now be on the opposite side of Joey Bosa. This left Washington fans perplexed and confused with the team’s direction, but if the season continues to go downhill, the fans can expect more things to be shaken up for the Commanders.