When the New Orleans Saints signed Chase Young after a pretty good year with the San Francisco 49ers, there was some hype behind the move. Young had a worrying neck injury that caused the Saints to give him an incentive heavy deal depending on his injuries, but for the most part, it seemed like he would be playing that season.

In his first year with the Saints, Young had only 5.5 sacks, but that was while dealing with a not-so-great defensive line coach, a defensive HC who was on his way out, and his first season on a new team. There was a really positive impact that Young's stats did not capture: the pressure rate. Young was getting to the QB at a great rate; the issue was that the plays were not being finished. Still, the Saints felt good enough about what Young brought to the team, which led to a new contract. The feeling going into 2025 was that if Young could just complete those plays, he could be an excellent pass rusher for the Saints, and that's what happened.

Young started the season injured, which was worrying given how the defensive line looked without him. But once he returned, it was clear that Young was playing at another level that season, and his presence took the pressure off the rest of the defense. By the end of the season, Young had 10.0 sacks and had one of the best defensive plays of the season against the Tennessee Titans. This was an excellent year for Young, and the attention that opposing offenses had to give to him helped the rest of the defensive line.

A year like that has made the Saints feel like they have a true game changing pass rusher on their defensive line, but can he keep up the positive momentum?

There are a few factors that go into this conversation. First, health. Young has not had the best injury history, and even last year, missed games. With a fully healthy offseason, Young should hopefully be able to play right away and not go down with injury, but that's more of a hope than an expectation.

Then there's the rest of the defensive line. It's great that Young takes the attention of offenses, but that stops him from getting to the QB. By having another player to be a threat on the other side, it splits the attention, which helps Young and that player get to the QB. The Saints do not have that person opposite of Young.

Still, with both of those factors, Young may be able to repeat his great year, especially having a season of experience in Brandon Staley's scheme.