Cowboys Named Possible Trade Suitor for EDGE Who Brings Certainty to Uncertain Group

The Dallas Cowboys have a promising edge rushers group, but there isn't much certainty in it. There's one trade Dallas could make to fortify the room.

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys have promise in their edge rushers room, but there isn't much certainty within the group.

Rashan Gary is the most established edge rusher Dallas has, but he showed how inconsistent he can be after not totaling a single sack after Week 9 of last season. Gary has also never posted more than 9.5 sacks in any season.

The two youngsters of the group, Donovan Ezeiruaku and Malachi Lawrence, are unproven with limited to no sample size in the NFL, and Sam Williams is looking to bounce back after a down season that was his first back from a major injury.

If the Cowboys want more certainty in their edge rushers group ahead of a crucial 2026 season, they might want to look to the Arizona Cardinals for a trade.

Cowboys named landing spot for Josh Sweat

Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Josh Sweat. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Logan Ulrich of NFL Trade Rumors is taking everything we said into account when naming the Cowboys as a potential trade partner for Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat.

Ulrich also notes that Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker is familiar with Sweat after the two crossed paths during their time with the Philadelphia Eagles.

"[Parker] overlapped with Sweat with the Eagles and runs a system the veteran pass rusher is well-suited to," Ulrich said. "If he wants Sweat, the Cowboys will atke that under consideration."

Ulrich hits the nail on the head when it comes to the Cowboys listening to what Parker wants.

Rumors suggested before the draft that Parker would have a big say in what the Cowboys did, and Will McClay noted after the draft that Parker heavily lobbied for Caleb Downs before Dallas drafted the safety with the No. 11 pick after a trade up.

While we're not sure the Cowboys could make it work financially, if Parker wants Sweat, Dallas is going to try and get him.

Why Josh Sweat could be traded

Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Josh Sweat. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Cardinals insider Kyle Odegard reported that Sweat is not happy in Arizona, which is what kicked off the trade buzz surrounding the veteran edge rusher.

"Don’t know the exact reason for the absence (from OTAS), but I’ve been hearing for awhile that Josh Sweat is not particularly happy in [Arizona]," Odegard reported in May.

Sweat did attend mandatory minicamp, but he did not take part, which suggests a hold in. It isn't exactly clear why Sweat is unhappy, but there are two possible explanations.

Either the former Super Bowl champ wants to play for a winning team, something the Cardinals won't be in 2026, or Sweat wants a new or updated contract with more guaranteed money because his current deal doesn't have any after this coming season.

No matter the reason, Sweat is a prime trade candidate by default because the timing is right for Arizona to trade him. The Cardinals won't be good for a few more years, at least, and Sweat is set to turn 30 next March. His value may also never be higher after a double-digit sack campaign.

When it comes to trade compensation, we'd suggest a Day 2 pick would be what it takes considering Sweat's history of production, although maybe the Cowboys can bring that price down if they include one of their current edge rushers in the deal.

What Sweat would bring to Cowboys

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Josh Sweat. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In an edge rushers room full of question marks, Sweat would bring a history of impressive production with him to Dallas.

The veteran edge rusher has posted eight or more sacks in three of the past four seasons, and two of those campaigns saw him tally 11 or more, including a career-high 12 in 2026.

Sweat also has a ton of playoff experience. We already mentioned he's a former Super Bowl champion, and he has appeared in nine playoff games in total during his career.

While the Cowboys are in a promising spot defensively going into the 2026 season, there are a few finishing touches they could use and acquiring Sweat would amount to one of them.

That said, with just $5.4 million in cap space, it would probably take some creativity to squeeze Sweat in.