The San Francisco 49ers strengthened their pass rush with the addition of Chase Young before the trade deadline, but he would have been far from the only defensive star on the NFC West team’s radar.
According to ESPN Adam SchefterSan Francisco also checked out Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II, Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson and Washington Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat before deciding the price was too high for all of them in potential exchanges.
The 49ers ended up getting Young for a third-round compensatory pick after the Commanders lowered the price due to concerns about the defensive end’s health.
Injury issues have largely kept him from playing at the level he did in 2020 as Defensive Rookie of the Year, but Schefter noted he has looked healthy for the 49ers in practice and that he is expected to play in Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He also doesn’t need to be individually dominant along a deep defensive line that includes Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw, Clelin Ferrell, Drake Jackson and Randy Gregory.
Among other reported targets, the Broncos and Bears ended up keeping their respective cornerbacks. Chicago also added despite being in last place in the NFC North and was the team that traded a second-round pick for Sweat.
The fact that San Francisco is interested in Surtain and Johnson is noteworthy, as cornerback could be an area of relative weakness heading into the final period.
He’s just 19th in the league in passing yards allowed per game despite having a defensive line so talented at generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks. If he doesn’t improve in that area, he likely won’t live up to Super Bowl expectations, even with a star-rich roster.
This roster could have featured even more star power if the front office had added Surtain, Sweat or Johnson, but instead settled on Young as the team chases an NFC West crown.
