With Jalen Carter sidelined against the Chargers, the Eagles knew someone else along the defensive line would need to step up.
The entire Philadelphia defense balled out, sacking Justin Herbert a career-high seven times, but the player who saw the biggest increase in production was Byron Young. The third-year defensive tackle played 32 defensive snaps, finishing with 1.5 sacks, a fumble recovery, and eight total tackles.
"B.Y. had a coming out party," Jordan Davis said on Wednesday. "A coming. Out. Party."
The big game came in a 22-19 overtime loss on Monday Night Football, but it marked a significant milestone in Young's NFL career.
After getting drafted in the third round out of Alabama by the Raiders in 2022, Young only played six games for Las Vegas before being waived ahead of the 2024 season. He then joined the Eagles and spent the majority of the 2024 season on Injured Reserve, made the 53-man roster this season, and earned a spot in the defensive tackle rotation.
On Monday, a week before facing the team that drafted him, Young registered his first career sack.
"It was good, man. Obviously, I wish it would have came in a win, but it was good to have it," he said. "It was a good experience.
"It's been a lot of ups and a lot of downs, but the ups have always outweighed the downs. I don't pay too much attention to the downs. I just go with ebbs and flows and always stay at the same level. It's been a lot of learning, but everything's happened for a reason and I'm here for a reason."
While Young is playing the best football of his NFL career, he's doing so just months after personal tragedy. During the offseason, Young's father, Kenny, died suddenly from a heart attack at age 62.
Kenny Young helped his son get into football, coaching him and his siblings from Pee-Wee until high school. Byron had a strong football relationship with Kenny, but his off-the-field connection with him was even stronger.
"Obviously it was an emotional thing, and it affected me. It still affects me to this day," Young said. "There's sadness at random times. In terms of play, I would say it just motivated me because I carry the last name that he gave me on my back every time I put my jersey on. It's something that he always took pride in, and it's something that I take pride in.
"He was the best father anybody could have ever asked for."
When Young found out about his father's passing, he leaned on fellow defensive tackle Gabe Hall, who is on Philadelphia's practice squad. The two became tight friends last season, spending time together in scout team meetings and playing golf during the offseason.
"We got really close, so when it happened, he was the one person up here I felt comfortable going to and having that moment with whenever I did get the call that my father had passed," Young said.
As Jordan Davis said, Young had his coming out party on Monday Night Football. It was his best game as a pro, but if this offseason taught him anything, it's to never take something for granted.
"[His passing] makes every single day that I'm able to put the jersey on special," Young said. — Written by Matt Ryan
