49ers GM John Lynch calls new addition Chase Young a 'complete player'

The Commanders’ rebuild for the future certainly benefitted the 49ers immediate plans. And it allowed the San Francisco defense to add Chase Young, one of the top pass rushers in the league.

Washington actually traded both their defensive ends, Tuesday, just ahead of the league deadline. The Commanders sent Montez Sweat to the Bears for a second-round pick. Then Washington and San Francisco agreed on the Young trade, with the 49ers securing the former No. 2 pick of the draft and the Ohio State star for a compensatory third-round selection.

Why did San Francisco, which already fields one of the top defenses in the NFL, want to add more top-end players? The 49ers already have Nick Bosa, who has been the best pass rusher in the league.

“Because I felt like it was the best deal to be had,” said 49ers GM John Lynch said. “We had a number of conversations, and we’ve always been of the philosophy that it starts up front, and that was the deal that made the most sense for us.”

Lynch spoke to reporters Wednesday to give his thoughts on the second major trade in as many seasons for the 49ers. This time a year ago, San Francisco secured running back Christian McCaffrey from the Panthers. Lynch conceded he didn’t sleep well Monday night, knowing the trade deadline was 1 p.m. Tuesday, local time.

Young will have the benefit of a bye week to get acclimated to the NFL ways of the West Coast. The 49ers also need a break, given that a season that started so brilliantly is spiraling thanks to three straight losses.

Lynch told reporters a good pass rush has its genesis in run defense. Could Young be an end who can rush a quarterback and stuff a tailback? The Commanders had soured on him, with Washington declining to pick up the fifth year option on his rookie contract. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Commanders viewed Young as “undisciplined.” The report said Young had a reputation as someone who’d rather aim for a spectacular play as opposed to being consistent every down.

Lynch didn’t address those particulars. But he did talk about the beauty of a detailed-oriented defense with a menacing rush.

“In the NFL, you’ve got to earn the right to rush the passer, ” Lynch said. “And you do that by playing the run well, and we’ve not been good enough there. So I think when we start doing the little things right, that gives you the opportunities, and ultimately, I think we’re going to get this thing right and all those things. But that definitely is true. We’ve got to shore that up. It starts with stopping the run, and we haven’t been doing that well enough, so we got to do that. And then we got ample ability and options as pass rushers to start to pull this together.”

Meanwhile, the Commanders definitely are playing for the future. Before Tuesday, they could field a starting defensive line with four first rounders. Now half are no longer with the team. After the trades, Washington has nine draft picks for 2024, with five in the first three rounds. And the 49ers may have a player who can help them out of this mid-season malaise.