Cowboys Should Make Aggressive Trade Offer for Pro Bowl EDGE Josh Sweat

Josh Sweat's name is in the rumor mill and the Dallas Cowboys should be willing to make a move.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Josh Sweat against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

This offseason, the Dallas Cowboys have been active in shoring up their defense. Following a disastrous 2025 campaign, Dallas brought in Christian Parker to coach their defense and have given him several new players to work with.

That includes pass rusher Rashan Gary, safeties Caleb Downs, Jalen Thompson, and P.J. Locke, cornerback Colbie Durant, and linebacker Dee Winters. They join players such as defensive tackles Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams, giving the Cowboys a much more formidable unit.

We recently discussed how these changes have three-time Super Bowl winner Mark Schlereth claiming the Cowboys can run the NFC East since they have the talent to control the line of scrimmage. Schlereth also said that Dallas is lacking a "war daddy" on the edge, but perhaps they can still find that in an EDGE with ties to Parker.

Josh Sweat, who made the Pro Bowl after recording 12 sacks in 2025 with the Arizona Cardinals, spent the first seven years of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. His final season with them was in 2024, when Parker was the team's passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach. While Parker and Sweat might not have worked directly with one another, Parker saw how Sweat's ability to get after the quarterback made the job much easier for his secondary.

What would it take to land Josh Sweat?

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Josh Sweat against the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Landing Sweat won't be cheap, but the Cowboys should be willing to get aggressive. While he won't net a first-round pick and more, the way Maxx Crosby would have, he's still going to command a premium pick.

That means the Cowboys might need to be willing to send their second-round pick in 2026 to the Cardinals for Sweat. If that seems like too much, they could offer a third and possibly Malik Hooker, which could help Arizona replace Jalen Thompson who signed with Dallas this offseason.

Either way, the Cowboys should be willing to make a move for a player who could elevate their defense.

How much would Josh Sweat count against the salary cap?

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Josh Sweat celebrates after sacking Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Sweat, who just turned 29 in March, is entering the second year of his four-year, $76.4 million deal. His cap hit in 2026 is incredibly managable at $16.38 million. It then increases to $23.6 million in 2027 and 2028, which is also fair for what he brings to the table. That said, the Cowboys have just over $8 million in cap space, so they would need to free up some room, but they have options for that, especially of they were to include a player such as Hooker who currentlly has a cap hit of $6.55 million.

There will be critics, who say that's too much to give up for a player who is approaching 30, but Sweat is only five months older than Crosby, who the Cowboys were willing to give up multiple premium picks for.

Sweat also had more sacks this past season than Crosby (10) and his grades from PFF weren't too far off Crosby's when it comes to pass rushing. Crosby had a 79.7 overall and a 77.1 in pass rushing compared to a 74.2 overall and 73.6 pass rush for Sweat. Crosby was significantly better against the run and is a better overall player, but as a fallback plan, Dallas could do much worse than Sweat.

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