49ers land Chase Young, Bears get Montez Sweat as Commanders unload top pass rushers

Published Oct. 31, 2023 6:00 p.m. ET

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Derrick Henry, Davante Adams and everyone on the Denver Broncos stayed put. Chase Young, Montez Sweat and Joshua Dobbs are on the move.

Rasul Douglas, Ezra Cleveland and Donovan Peoples-Jones also were dealt Tuesday before the NFL’s trade deadline at 4 p.m. EDT.

Overall, there were six deals on the final day teams could improve their rosters by acquiring someone from another club.

The San Francisco 49ers (5-3) made the biggest move of the day, getting Young from the Washington Commanders for a compensatory third-round draft pick.

Young, the 2020 No. 2 overall pick, joins former teammate Nick Bosa on San Francisco’s defensive line. Young was limited to just 12 games over the past two seasons because of injuries. He has five sacks in seven games this season and should provide a major boost for the suddenly struggling 49ers, who’ve lost three in a row.

The Commanders traded their top pass rusher, Sweat, to the Chicago Bears for a second-round pick. Sweat, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, wasn’t going to be re-signed by Washington (3-5).

The Bears (2-6) are headed nowhere, but have to be planning to keep Sweat, who has 6 1/2 sacks this season. He was Washington’s first-round pick in 2019.

Dobbs, who was Arizona’s starting quarterback this season, goes to Minnesota to help replace the injured Kirk Cousins. The Vikings sent a sixth-round draft pick to the Cardinals and also receive a conditional seventh-rounder with Dobbs in return.

Dobbs joins his seventh team in seven seasons and third since training camp. He threw for 1,569 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions for the Cardinals (1-7). He also has rushed for 258 yards and three scores.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said the team is preparing rookie Jaren Hall to start this week against Atlanta, but wouldn’t rule out using Dobbs. Minnesota (4-4) lost Cousins for the season after he tore his Achilles tendon.

“I’ve always kind of been a fan of the combination of his skill set from a standpoint of being able to provide some athleticism, make some plays in the pocket, outside the pocket,” O’Connell said about Dobbs on Sirius XM. “I think he’s a very intelligent guy, which gives us an opportunity to get him in here in a short amount of time and try to prepare him for any snaps when that may occur. But at the same time, I think we’re excited and confident in Jaren Hall and what we can put together a game plan for Jaren where he can go out against a really good team on the road in a tough environment down in Atlanta and hopefully play good football.”

The AFC South-leading Jaguars (6-2) improved their offensive line by getting Cleveland from Minnesota for a sixth-round pick. Cleveland had started 45 consecutive games at left guard before missing the past two because of a foot injury. Walker Little, Jacksonville’s starting left guard has been dealing with a knee injury.

“It’s just a matter of getting him caught up and getting him in the room with a really good offensive line,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN. “Getting a guy like Ezra, we got a starting-type guard. Really, really solidifies our offensive line and makes us better.”

Douglas, a ball-hawking cornerback with 10 interceptions in his past 36 games in Green Bay, goes to Buffalo along with a fifth-round pick for a fourth-rounder.

The Bills fill an immediate need at cornerback at a reasonable price. Douglas will count about $600,000 against the salary cap for a team that entered the day with around $4.1 million available. Douglas will get a chance to take Tre’Davious White’s spot at left cornerback. White tore his right Achilles tendon in a 48-20 win over Miami on Oct. 1.

Kaiir Elam, Buffalo’s 2022 first-round draft pick, struggled in his bid to replace White and was inactive last weekend, with fourth-year backup Dane Jackson taking over.

The Detroit Lions (6-2) added depth at wide receiver by acquiring Peoples-Jones from Cleveland for a 2025 sixth-round pick. People-Jones has eight catches for 97 yards this season after catching 61 passes for 839 yards last season.

The Jets (4-3) didn’t make a trade, but signed 35-year-old veteran lineman Rodger Saffold to the practice squad to bolster an injury-depleted group.

Several teams already made moves ahead of the trade deadline. The Eagles (7-1) got two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard from Tennessee last week. The Seahawks (5-2) acquired defensive lineman Leonard Williams from the Giants on Monday.

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AP Pro Football Writers Dave Campbell, Josh Dubow, Mark Long, Dennis Waszak and AP Sports Writers John Wawrow, Stephen Whyno and David Brandt contributed.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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Montez Sweat

Washington Commanders

Chase Young

National Football League