Chase Young has played two games with the San Francisco 49ers since being acquired via a trade with the Washington Commanders. The talented pass rusher has been credited with 1.5 sacks in those games while contributing nine pressures.
On Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan shared his thoughts on his new defensive end's contributions, stating, "Chase is a real good rusher, and he's really physical versus the run."
Young joined a defensive front that already included Javon Hargrave, Arik Armstead, and Nick Bosa, Young's former Ohio State teammate. Since taking charge in 2017, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have committed to fortifying the defensive line, evident by the acquisition of Young.
With 6.5 sacks this season, Young is just one sack away from matching his career high of 7.5, achieved during his rookie year. The addition has seemingly paid off, with the 49ers defense playing significantly better since the team's bye week.
"So just adding to the collective unit, which has been huge for us," Shanahan continued. "We try to have strength in numbers with our D-line. We try to keep them fresh. We try to keep them going. So it's not just having to depend on one or two guys to make O-linemen miss to get sacks. It's creating edges on people, making the quarterback move, making the quarterback watch the rush, and when you have more guys out there, it's really what makes it go.
"And adding Chase has been a huge one for our unit, and that helps everyone else. And then he individually is good enough to make the plays, too, which he's gotten those ops, and he's come through with them."