The New Orleans Saints made the bold choice to give Chase Young a nice-sized contract this offseason. Seeing that the Saints had limited funds, many Saints fans didn't feel that was the smartest move to make. So far, it looks like Young is going make good on the organizations belief.
Not only did the Saints not have a lot of money, Young also didn't rack up a lot of sacks. His 5.5 sacks left a lot to be desired. The Saints signed Young to a contract that gives him $17 million annually over the next three seasons. It's not top edge rusher money, but it feels like a contract for a player who can hit double digit sacks.
With larger contracts come larger expectations. Young wasn't a bad player last season, but he'll have to take a step forward to justify the contract. He's been impressive through training camp, and his performance in joint practice is a sign he's ready to make that jump.
Chase Young is justifying the contract in training camp
Young's training camp means nothing if it doesn't translate to the regular season, of course, but that doesn't mean we should ignore or gloss over what he's doing in training camp. If he wasn't standing out, we'd be talking about that.
Improved performance has to start somewhere, and for Young it started in the offseason. He's finally healthy, which he couldn't say last year. In addition to that, Brandon Staley's scheme allows Young to focus on his athleticism. Knowing this, Young dropped some weight and is playing much faster.
Young has been a standout all throughout camp, but joint practices provide a different challenge. He's now going against another team's best and rose to the occasion. Let's hold the pass rush talk for a second. Young also had three pass breakups, including one in actual coverage. He's going to be asked to drop back occasionally, so that was a welcomed sign.
All eyes are on his ability to rush the passer, and Young did that too. He was constantly penetrating the line of scrimmage and would have had a couple of sacks on the day. While other performances can be diminished by Matthew Stafford's absence, Young beating the offensive line isn't one of them. Maybe Stafford gets the ball out quickly, but Young's performance would still be notable.
Days like this remind you Young had a ton of pressures. It's easy to hyperfocus on the sack total. That's the concern. The pressures reinforce the belief in Young's ability to get to the quarterback. He's done that all offseason. It's just about finishing.