NFL Rumors: Commanders Owners Had 'Strong Hand' in Chase Young, Montez Sweat Trades

The new ownership regime for the Washington Commanders "had a strong hand in deciding to deal both Chase Young and Montez Sweat," according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

The two defensive ends were the subject of steady speculation leading up to Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Washington sent Sweat to the Chicago Bears for a 2024 second-round pick, while Young is on his way to the San Francisco 49ers for a third-rounder, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

A fanbase that just moved on from Dan Snyder is unlikely to take kindly to the idea that the team owners are overruling the front office and coaching staff on football decisions. Sweat and Young were an effective tandem off the edge as well, combining for 11.5 sacks through the first eight weeks.

Their trades are nevertheless defensible.

Sweat and Young are headed for free agency, so Washington was faced with having to spend significantly more money on a defensive line that's already going to be the fifth-most expensive in the league next year. With Young specifically, you're talking about a player who's young (24) but has seen his career disrupted by a torn ACL and ruptured patellar tendon.

Meeting the market value of either player offseason may not have been a worthwhile investment for a franchise that badly needs to hit the reset button. Flipping them for valuable Day 2 draft picks will now accelerate that process.

Any sense of resignation felt by Commanders players and fans is understandable. Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, who has spent his entire career with Washington, was candid when he told reporters after a 14-7 defeat to the New York Giants he was "f--king tired of this s--t."

"It's been seven f--king years of the same s--t," Allen added.

Josh Harris got to enjoy a honeymoon period when he took over from Snyder, but he hasn't built up the kind of equity that's helpful when you need to sell a rebuild to all invested parties. That doesn't mean his reported handling of the deadline was necessarily wrong.