IRVINE, Calif. — Chase Young has long resisted The Narrative.
The Narrative — the dreaded narrative — is a label that carries a perception, and Young tends to dislike perceptions.
When he signed with the New Orleans Saints last year, the pass rusher brushed off the idea that his one-year, $13 million contract was a prove-it deal. In Washington, the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year dismissed the notion that a slow start to his second season could be attributed to his choice to film commercials instead of attending his team’s offseason workouts. And even coming out of the draft, when he was perceived as a generational prospect, he was bothered by those who thought he wasn’t still disruptive in his final three games at Ohio State when he was held without a sack.
But this year, his sixth in the NFL, there’s a new narrative around Young — one he hasn’t necessarily shied away from.
He has to live up to the three-year, $51 million contract he signed in March.
“I feel like I got a lot to prove to myself,” Young said. “I know what I can do when I’m all the way there and 100%.”
In training camp, teammates and coaches have sworn they’ve seen a shift in Young. Linebacker Pete Werner, Young’s college teammate, said he sees a player who has “matured a lot,” one who now understands his overall importance to the defense. Tight end Juwan Johnson remarked that he could tell Young was “on a different mindset” when they talked during a recent practice. Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley believes Young benefited from a completely healthy offseason.
The hope is for Young to build on a promising first season with the Saints. Despite only finishing with 5½ sacks, Young ranked sixth in pressures with 73, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. And despite coming off a neck injury, Young played in every game for the first time in his career.
On its own, Young’s new contract carries an average annual value of $17 million — making him the league’s 19th-highest-paid edge rusher. Big picture, that appears to be a reasonable contract for a player who has yet to have a double-digit sack season and has a lengthy injury history. But on the Saints, based on that same average, Young is suddenly the team’s highest-paid player.
Hence the expectations.
“We’re on his tail,” defensive end Cam Jordan said. “I mean, you see the explosive plays. You see, or could say, ‘Hey, he could be special.’ And we want that every play. … We see your splash play. Don’t let it be a splash. Let it be a wave.”
“We’ve got to have him on his game,” Werner said. “And he knows that.”
Young has been on his game this summer. In camp, the 26-year-old has used his rare blend of speed and power to wreak havoc off the edge. He’s played with consistent effort, notably chasing down Alvin Kamara down the field after the running back broke off a big run.
The Saints’ change in scheme has also benefited the former No. 2 overall pick. Young said he likes the freedom Staley gives his defensive ends, often letting them dictate whether to rush from a two-point (standing position) or three-point (hand on the ground) stance. And Staley’s defense deploys wide-nine alignments, which Young said make it easier to set the edge and get after the quarterback.
“It eliminates a lot of thinking,” he said.
In this defense, the Saints could use Young similarly to how the Los Angeles Chargers deployed star Khalil Mack when Staley coached there. Mack, coincidentally, is one of Young’s favorite pass rushers to study. The two met when Young was in the eighth grade because of a mutual connection — Young’s coach at the time played college football with Mack — and Young has maintained an interest since then. When he learned teammate Chris Rumph played with Mack in Los Angeles, Young wanted to know all about him.
Mack’s first season with Staley resulted in eight sacks for the pass rusher. In 2023, his last with Staley, Mack finished with a career-high 17 sacks.
“If you want those edge players to be the tone-setters in your defense, the different makers, then you have to put them in a position to set the tone and make a difference,” Staley said. “And so we think from a matchup perspective, having them wider allows them to impact the run game and pass rush.
“Because if you talk to any rusher, the closer he is, the tighter he is, the less base he has to operate.”
Even if Young doesn’t quite reach Mack levels of production, Staley sees a lot to like. He said two things stood out about Young initially: His age and his health.
Being only 26, Staley said, was still relatively young given how much Young has accomplished in his career. In addition to his rookie of the year campaign, Young made the postseason that same year and later made the Super Bowl when he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 2023.
Staley said Young “looks amazing” after having a full offseason to train without recovering from a serious injury. Last year, Young was working his way back from neck surgery. And for each of the two years prior, Young was recovering and rehabbing from a torn ACL and additional knee damage that he suffered in 2021.
This offseason, Young was able to focus on his craft.
“He’s healthy, (we’ve) got a vision for him and now you’ve got to go demand what he’s capable of giving,” Staley said.
Columnist Jeff Duncan contributed to this report