4 differences from the Chicago Bears trade for Montez Sweat and Chase Young to 49ers

1. The Chicago Bears got the better run defender

While Chase Young brings more upside because of his age and his pass-rushing ability, it is fair to say that Montez Sweat is the better run-defender. Sweat has always been a good run defender. When Young was a rookie, he had a 7.2% stop rate, per PFF, while Young was at 6.8%. In 2021, Chase Young was slightly better, but this year, it has not been close.

Sweat has an 83.7 run defense grade, and Young is at 58.1. Sweat had a 7% stop rate, and Young is at 4.6%. You can see it on tape as well, and the big issue is gap discipline. Sweat maintains his lanes and holds up the edge with power. Meanwhile, Chase Young is looking to sneak into the backfield and make the bigger plays. It takes him out of the rush lane and can break bigger runs. It can also take the defense out of playing sound, team defense.

These are the subtle differences between Young and Sweat. Young has the upside and potential, but beyond the injury comes effort issues and a lack of engagement on every play, as well as team buy-in. On the flip side, Sweat does not have the ceiling of Young, but you know what you are getting, and he is worth extending right now. With Young, the 49ers, and most teams acquiring him would want to see his buy-in on a new team first.