How Josh Sweat’s Arrival Could Transform the Cardinals’ Defense This Season

Josh Sweat didn’t just show up at the Super Bowl—he made a statement. So now the Arizona Cardinals are banking on this game-changer to breathe new life into their struggling defensive line. But here’s the million-dollar question: Can a player known more for clutch consistency than jaw-dropping stats really turn around a unit that finished near the bottom in pressure rate? Sweat’s journey from Philly’s Super Bowl champs to a $76 million gamble in Arizona is a story of expectation, grit, and a bit of high-stakes hope. Will Sweat’s knack for stepping up when it counts be enough to flip the script for the Cardinals, or will the pressure of new surroundings temper his shine? Time will tell, but one thing’s clear—Arizona’s defense is hungry for big-game magic, and Sweat’s the freshest ingredient in their recipe. LEARN MORE

Josh Sweat made himself known in the Super Bowl. Now, the Arizona Cardinals hope he can revamp their defensive line.

Sometimes the price for winning a Super Bowl is paid in the aftermath.

That’s become the case for the Philadelphia Eagles, who have had some difficult decisions to make with a number of key players hitting free agency.  

The champs took care of one of those situations by re-signing All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun to a three-year, $51 million deal last week. But defensive tackle Milton Williams, who made a major impact in the team’s NFC championship game and Super Bowl routs, is reportedly leaving after striking a deal with the New England Patriots.

And Josh Sweat, another star during the team’s Super Bowl victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, was considered to be the top edge rusher available by NFL.com before agreeing to four-year, $76 million deal ($41 million guaranteed) with the Arizona Cardinals on Monday.

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Sweat had spent his first seven seasons in the league in Philadelphia.

Arizona finished the 2024 regular season with the seventh-worst pressure rate in the league (37.1%). But Sweat figures to help bolster the Cardinals in that area after leading the Eagles with 8.0 sacks in 2024. The 2021 Pro Bowl selection ranks eighth on the franchise’s all-time sack list with 43.0, and his 33.0 sacks over the past four seasons are the 17th most in the NFL.

Sweat has also totaled the 14th-most adjusted sacks (48) since 2021 and is one of only 26 edge rushers with 100 or more run disruptions over that span. An adjusted sack occurs when a defender achieves a pressure on a sack play, even if that defender does not actually record the sack, while a run disruption is when a defender wins his matchup against a specific blocker or blockers and is able to defend multiple gaps successfully.

However, his value to the Eagles has been more about reliability and consistency more than off-the-charts numbers. His 17.6% pressure rate last season was barely above the league average (17.5%) among edge rushers with at least 150 pass rushes. His 3.2% adjusted sack rate and 12.3% run disruption rate were both below the NFL averages (3.6% and 14.2%, respectively).

What mattered most to the Eagles is how Sweat came up big against the Chiefs with a season-high six tackles (two solo, four assists), 2.5 sacks (a career high and just 0.5 shy of a Super Bowl record), three quarterback hits on Mahomes and two tackles for loss in Super Bowl LIX.

Now Arizona hopes to be getting big-game performances from Sweat over the next four years.

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The post NFL Free Agency: What the Josh Sweat Addition Means for the Cardinals appeared first on Opta Analyst.