Josh Sweat Gets Major Injury Update Ahead of Cardinals' Week 1 Opener

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals move into their season opener with questions around outside linebacker Josh Sweat and what his potential participation will look like against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Head coach Mike LaFleur has answers.

Weeks after Sweat was activated off the Physically Unable to Perform list, the Cardinals are ready to fully unleash their top pass rusher at SoFi Stadium.

"I don't see any restrictions for Sunday," said LaFleur when asked if Sweat would be full-go.

More on Josh Sweat's Knee

The Cardinals have been ultra careful with Sweat's knee management this offseason. Arizona saw the veteran edge rusher miss all of offseason team activities, mandatory minicamp and training camp as he prepared on his own for the 2026 season.

Through the summer months of mystery surrounding Sweat (with a dash of trade chatter) Arizona was insistent Sweat would be fully ready for Week 1 — and that appears to be the case.

He was activated in the team's final week of preseason action but didn't practice or play until after their finale in Green Bay — giving Sweat multiple weeks of practice to get into game shape.

Last season, Sweat started all 17 games but played in only 47% of snaps.

Sweat's consistently managed a knee injury for most of his playing career, donning a knee brace when he's on the field. However, that hasn't impacted his ability to get after the quarterback. Last season, Sweat was No. 7 in the NFL for pass-rush win percentage (via ESPN) with 55 total career sacks entering 2026.

The Cardinals very much need Sweat at his best. His 12 sacks last season far and away led the team last season and a healthy Walter Nolen III is practically the only other established threat to reach the quarterback on Sunday.

Especially with defensive coordinator Nick Rallis entering the season with a bit of a warm seat, Arizona is relying on Sweat to do some incredibly heavy lifting in 2026.

The Cardinals and Chargers will reveal their first injury reports of Week 1 tonight.

Arizona's Defense Will Make or Break Cardinals' 2026 Season

The Cardinals' offense is projected to be much better with LaFleur running the show, and with weapons galore, Arizona's attack holds major hope to improve from its prior 2025 form.

That shifts the conversation to the defensive side of the ball, where Arizona mostly filled gaps in the offseason left by departing players rather than upgrading most spots.

The Cardinals are hoping injuries won't play as big of a role as they did last season with improvement from a few younger guys potentially elevating their level of play.

Whether that's right or wrong remains to be seen, though players such as Sweat have a tall task at hand.

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