After many personnel changes in the defensive side of the ball, the expectations for New Orleans Saints edge rusher Chase Young are notably high.
Not just outside of the building, either. The club itself has a high standard for what they are expecting from the disruptive defender going into 2026.
In speaking with defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, it becomes clear that those ambitions for Young start on the field, but extend beyond the boundaries as well.
“I think our starting point is going to be different than it was last year,” Staley said. “The process is the same, but the starting point is going to be different for him. He understands our standards of his position and how we want him to play.”
The on-field impact that Young had last year is undeniable. His 10 sacks and 16 tackles for a loss in 2026 were each career highs even though he missed the first five games of the year.
That is another reason that New Orleans has high expectations for him, as they hope that the edge rusher will see a full lead-in to the season.
“I think he felt that consistency of his performance last year and the benefits of it,” Staley said. “Now it’s about having a full calendar off season, a full calendar training camp, to hopefully start out the right way. Last year, I felt like he had such a good training camp, but then you missed five full weeks, you got to hit reset almost, and that’s tough.”
Not having that reset going into 2026 would be a critically important benefit for Young. It’s not hard to imagine how much he might have impacted some of the closer games early in the season, especially considering his late-game production.
But Young’s significance is even more substantial beyond his in-game contributions. With veteran defensive leadership departing this offseason, Staley and the Saints are looking for Young to step in as a standard-bearer for the club as well.
“We expect him to shine in a leadership way, too,” said Staley. “I think he’s really poised to be a real leader on our defense and our team.”
His role in leadership has already been on display. Setting the tone in practice, celebrating plays made by his teammates and being a resource for other young players. (Young himself is, after all, still only 27 years old.) He’s checking all of the boxes early.
Next up for the edge rusher in matching his club’s high expectations will be remaining healthy up to and through the season. If he can do so, his performance in 2026 should build upon the success and momentum he built last year.
