Josh Sweat Trade Destinations: Three Best Landing Spots For Cardinals’ Edge Rusher

Arizona’s $76 million man could be on the move as the 2026 NFL trade deadline approaches.

Josh Sweat signed a four-year, $76 million contract with the Cardinals last offseason. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Trade destinations: Jonathan Taylor | Khalil Mack | Brian Thomas Jr. | Saquon Barkley | Josh Downs

It’s officially trade deadline season in the NFL, and with it has come plenty of reports, rumors and rumblings about who could potentially be on the move.

We’ve already seen the Colts become clear sellers after firing general manager Chris Ballard, dealing guard Quenton Nelson to the Seahawks and DeForest Buckner to the 49ers, while the Titans shipped Jeffery Simmons to the Bears amid their slow start to the year.

Contending clubs, meanwhile, will likely look to buy, shoring up soft spots on their rosters as they continue pushing toward a postseason berth.

That’s where a player like Josh Sweat comes in.

Sweat signed a four-year, $76 million contract with the Cardinals last May, recording career highs in sacks (12) and forced fumbles (4) throughout the 2025 season. After Arizona went just 3–14, however, the club fired coach Jonathan Gannon—who was Sweat’s defensive coordinator while with the Eagles—and hired Mike LaFleur. Whether related or not, Sweat ultimately skipped the Cardinals’ offseason program this spring and was the subject of trade calls before beginning training camp on the PUP list with a knee injury. 

The 29-year-old has since suited up for all seven games for the Cardinals this season, logging 16 tackles, two sacks, 17 pressures and a pressure rate of 11.2%. With Arizona sitting at 3–5 and in last place in the NFC West, however, there’s a chance the team will once again listen to trade calls on the edge rusher. In fact, according to PHNX Sports’s Johnny Venerable, the club is aware of Sweat’s market and is “believed to be seeking a high Day 2 pick for the veteran pass rusher.”

With that, here are four potential landing spots for Sweat.

Buffalo Bills

Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard could use another pass rusher along the defensive front. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Bills have started the season 6–1 after their win over the Ravens on Sunday. While their offense remains on fire, they’ve yet to find success on defense—specifically rushing the passer.

Heading into Week 8, Buffalo’s defense had allowed the second-most yards per game (386.8) and the third-most points per game (28.7) in the NFL while registering a pressure rate of just 30.0%, the league’s second-lowest mark behind only the Colts (24.4%). Gregory Rousseau has paced the front seven with six sacks amid a breakout season, but could use a running mate on the opposite side to further wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks.

Enter Sweat, who would immediately give the Bills another proven pass rusher as they look to shore up their defense and finally get over the hump and win a Super Bowl.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys lost a stunner against the Cardinals on Sunday. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is always looking to make moves, and this trade deadline will likely be no different. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Dallas is “a team to watch” as interest in Sweat heats up. The club had an up-close look at the pass rusher on Sunday when they were stunned by the Cardinals, 33–30, at AT&T Stadium.

While the Cowboys forced Arizona to make a quarterback change from Jacoby Brissett to Gardner Minshew II, and sacked the duo a combined five times, their pass rush had been average at best entering the week. Through their first seven games, Dallas’s defense had tallied only 10 sacks—the fifth-lowest in the NFL—and logged a pressure rate of just 32.8%, the ninth-lowest mark in football. 

Now 3–5, the Cowboys are still in the mix for a spot in the NFC playoff picture, and adding a threat off the edge in Sweat to pair with Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku along the defensive front would address one of their biggest weaknesses as they look to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2023.

Kansas City Chiefs

Chris Jones and the Chiefs have had a difficult time rushing the passer in 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As we saw earlier this week, the Chiefs will do just about anything to their roster if it means improving their chances of winning, and after failing to sack Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold in their loss to Seattle last Sunday, adding another pass rusher should be at the top of their list of needs.

Heading into Week 8, Kansas City’s defense had registered the sixth-fewest quarterback pressures in the NFL (81) and the 14th-lowest pressure rate (34.5%), resulting in a sack rate of just 3.4% (third-lowest) and eight total sacks (tied for second-fewest). While rookie R Mason Thomas has been solid—registering a pressure rate of 18.0% on 128 pass rush snaps—and veteran George Karlaftis remains a reliable presence off the edge, 11th-year pro Chris Jones has been sub-par to begin 2026. DC Steve Spanguolo loves to spin the dial, and bringing Sweat into the fold could give him another versatile weapon to deploy along the defensive front.

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