As the trade deadline rapidly approaches on October 31, Washington Commanders edge rushers Chase Young and Montez Sweat are among the most coveted players in the league, but league sources believe a trade is far more likely with one of them.
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"Talks have advanced significantly further with Montez Sweat," a league source told FanBuzz Sunday morning. "It has gotten to the point that a team made an offer to the Commanders, and if they can get a long-term deal negotiated ahead of time, there's a good chance that trade goes down well before the deadline."
Sweat, 27, is in the midst of one of the fastest starts to a season in his career, logging 5.5 sacks through Washington's first seven games of the 2023 campaign.
The former No. 26 overall pick of Washington, in the 2019 NFL Draft, Sweat has become one of the game's most consistently dominant pass-rushers, producing 34.5 sacks and 28.5 tackles for loss while having played in 66 of a possible 73 games.
The Commanders could ultimately wind up being sellers at the NFL trade deadline, and while it is possible that Young also gets moved, there could be several factors in play that could lead to general manager Martin Mayhew standing pat with Young.
Young was chosen No. 2 overall in the 2019 draft, and moving on in a trade from a player that Mayhew selected over the likes of Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert, or All-Pro offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, could be viewed as the admission of a mistake, entering an offseason where Mayhew could be on the hot seat with a new ownership group in place.
Likewise, Young could command a higher asking price, despite missing 23 games due to injury throughout his career, because he is a former No. 2 overall pick.
When healthy, Young has been extremely productive, posting 14 sacks in 33 games.
As the Commanders look to a future that could begin with a full-fledged rebuild this offseason, trading either Sweat or Young could be the quickest way to acquire premium draft capital to remake the roster.
Sweat, though, could be the most attractive option given his consistent availability, production, and he might not command quite as steep an asking price as Young could on the trade market.
