49ers reunite Nick Bosa with Ohio State teammate, trade for Chase Young

The San Francisco 49ers have reportedly made another massive trade before the NFL's deadline.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the 49ers have traded for Washington Commanders' edge rusher Chase Young, the former No. 2 overall pick out of Ohio State in 2020.

The initial report was that the deal would be for a "mid-round pick in 2024," although ESPN's Adam Schefter has since clarified that San Francisco will send a third-round pick to Washington.

The trade comes with the time ticking down on the trade deadline, which closes at 4 PM ET this afternoon, and is yet another example of 49ers' general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan wheeling and dealing on the final day.

Since coming to San Francisco in 2017, the 49ers have added players such as former quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (2017), wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (2019), running back Christian McCaffrey (2022), and EDGE rusher Randy Gregory (this season) at or around the deadline.

And having lost their last three games after a 5-0 start, largely due to failures of their vaunted defensive line to create pressure against opposing quarterbacks, it was clear that the 49ers needed to add to the defense.

Chase Young comes to San Francisco having played in seven games so far in 2023. He's racked up five sacks and 15 tackles along with nine additional quarterback hits. After winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2020 after a 7.5 sack season, Young struggled to stay on the field during the next two seasons due to injury, adding just 1.5 sacks in 12 games over those two seasons.

The trade, of course, reunites Young with his former Ohio State teammate, 49ers' EDGE rusher Nick Bosa, who the Niners took with the no.2 overall pick in the draft prior to Washington taking Young.

Related story: Latest 49ers news, rumors and reports ahead of NFL trade deadline

The 49ers will hope that adding Young, along with Gregory, Bosa, and defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead will allow them to put more pressure on the opposition quarterbacks and shore up the defense for the remainder of the season.

The deadline hasn't quite passed, so there's still a chance the 49ers could make another move, but at this point, the move should make the defensive line, and the defense as a whole, a lot better.

Read more from Niner Noise