After being traded to the San Francisco 49ers from the Washington Commanders last year, former No. 2 overall pick Chase Young had a chance to resurrect his career in the NFL by playing on one of the best defenses in the league.
Although Young showed he could still be productive, recording 7.5 sacks last season, the 49ers passed on the opportunity to bring him back once he hit NFL free agency, which made him available to the highest bidder.
Ultimately, that team turned out to be the New Orleans Saints, which also has one of the best defenses in the NFL and seemed like a good fit for the Ohio State product.
Unfortunately, it seems as though Young’s injury history has come back to haunt him once again during his NFL career, as many teams passed on signing him this offseason due to a neck issue.
Apparently, Young will have surgery on his neck on Thursday, according to Albert Breer of MMQB.
Some background on Saints DE Chase Young's deal: Scans on his neck made it tough to find a suitor. No one would clear him on his physical. The condition was initially found after he had a stinger last year vs. the Browns in preseason.
He'll have neck surgery tomorrow.
(cont.)
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 20, 2024
It appears that the Saints are fine with Young going through surgery and being on the mend for the next three to five months, which is why they put most of his money set to be earned on his new contract on whether he plays a certain number of games.
It’ll be interesting to see if Young can bounce back from another injury setback and whether he’s able to be a game-changer on defense for the Saints during the 2024 NFL season and potentially beyond, as the team has taken on some risk while hoping for a big reward with the talented defensive end.
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