Could the Steelers be a Landing Spot for Chase Young?

Chase Young is starting to become the subject of trade rumors, even those concerning the Pittsburgh Steelers. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported that the Washington Commanders would certainly listen to offers for Young after his career has been rocky after a severe knee injury set him back. While Breer does not think it is all that likely, Washington is at least listening.

“Teams coming out of the spring thinking they need more help may make trade calls on Young (it seems unlikely the Washington brass would move him ahead of a must-win year, but I know they’d be open to listening),” Breer wrote.

So, if this is a legitimate thing that the Commanders are thinking about, could the Steelers be a team that comes knocking? We know around this time of year, the trade rumors will swirl around anyone with high pedigree and talent. Young has all the athletic traits the team loves and is from Ohio State, so the team has seen him up close. Many people will point to the clip that circulated around social media in the 2020 season where Mike Tomlin addressed Young.

#Steelers HC Mike Tomlin to Chase Young: "I don't ever want to lose enough games to get a guy like you. You know what I mean? 'Cause you gotta lose 14, 15 games to get a guy look like you."

Real recognize real.

(via @NFLFilms) pic.twitter.com/3xccSLv0Wc

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 8, 2020

But there are far too many questions here for me to jump fully on board with this one. For one, where does Young actually fit into the equation for the team? This year, the team has Markus Golden who is the top backup and Young would not be guaranteed that spot, especially with a lot of proven production after a severe knee injury. Second, for Washington, you invested so much in Young that there are reports he now looks great. To me, that signals this would be a significant ask to get Washington to move off him.

So, you’re talking about a guy coming off a career-altering injury with no clear path to playing time in the immediate or far enough future. It’s not like Young becomes a starter next year. The expectations are that the team will extend Alex Highsmith, making him and T.J. Watt the bookend starters of the future. If that happens, Young is at best the OLB3 on a team that would have to pay some significant draft capital to land him.

The idea of adding a talent like Young and taking a flier on him is intriguing. But for the combination of need and cost, this one seems out of reach for Pittsburgh. If Young does get moved, expect him to head to somewhere else such as the Chicago Bears, where the need is obvious and clear.