The NFL offseason hit full swing exactly a week ago today as free agency got underway. The Buccaneers accomplished what they wanted to accomplish over the course of last week and are continuing to hash out deals with important pieces for next year’s roster.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t the only team looking to improve off of their 2023 season however, as many teams around the league are trying to position themselves for a Super Bowl run. One of those teams lives right within the Bucs’ division, the New Orleans Saints - perhaps the franchises’ biggest rival.
Last season, the Saints’ normally disruptive defensive line didn’t quite live up to what was expected and now they will look to improve in this area by bringing in former Pro Bowl defensive end and number two overall pick Chase Young on a one-year deal.
Much was expected of Young after being drafted so highly in the 2020 NFL draft out of Ohio State by the Washington Commanders, and he lived up to those expectations during his rookie season. However, since then, Young has found that being elite at an NFL level isn’t something to take for granted as his effort and love for the game have come into question over the past couple of years.
Young was traded from Washington to the 49ers during the middle of the 2023 season and seemed to have found himself before things became his new normal. At times it didn’t look like Young didn’t even want to be on the field, so it will be interesting to see if a new home will be what finally kicks it back into gear again for Chase Young.
Either way Young can provide depth at a position for the Saints and with the ceiling that he has, the Saints could walk away from this looking like geniuses. If he remains the Chase Young we have seen over the past couple of seasons, Baker Mayfield should have a field day throwing from the pocket.
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