The Washington Commanders finally escaped from the grasp of Dan Snyder after years of ineptitude and overseeing a toxic workplace culture. This year, the Commanders were officially sold to the Harris Group, led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris. When it comes to teams owned by Harris, they are not afraid to blow up the roster and enter a lengthy rebuild in hopes of building a contender. Sure enough, Harris' brand new team did just that.
On Tuesday at the NFL Trade Deadline, the Commanders started by flipping defensive end Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick. The Commanders then decided to take calls on edge rusher Chase Young afterward and agreed to trade him to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2024 third-round pick.
According to The Athletic's senior NFL insider Dianna Russini, the Commanders' ownership "had a strong hand" in deciding to trade Young and Sweat. Russini continued, saying, "Many in the building wanted to keep them."
Commanders ownership was behind Chase Young, Montez Sweat trades
Commanders fans, get used to the "Trust the Process" mantra.
Harris had a big day of trading, not just with the Commanders. Early Tuesday morning, the 76ers traded disgruntled star James Harden and P.J. Tucker to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris, K.J. Martin, a 2026 first-round pick (via Oklahoma City Thunder), a 2028 first-round pick, two second-round picks, and a pick swap.
A busy day for the Harris Group.
Both Sweat and Young were set to become free agents at the end of the season. By moving Sweat to Chicago, they are virtually guaranteed to pick high in the second round, given the team is 2-6 on the season and trending towards finishing last in the NFC North division. For the Bears, they needed pass-rush help in the worst way. Not only does this trade help this year, but the team has $110 million in cap space to spend next season, so they can afford to sign Sweat to a long-term contract.
As for Young, he heads to a Super Bowl contender in the 49ers, who watched the Seattle Seahawks improve their defensive line by acquiring Leonard Williams from the New York Giants on Monday. Young has the chance to revitalize his career for the rest of this season in San Francisco alongside former Ohio State Buckeyes teammate Nick Bosa. Not to mention lining up next to Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead.
New owners will typically look to restructure the team based on their preferences. The easy way is to trade away top players and accumulate draft capital. Harris did that on Tuesday by moving on from two young pass rushers and got two second-day draft picks in exchange.