The Cowboys may not be finished trying to patch up their defense, and Josh Sweat’s name is suddenly in the mix as a possible answer off the edge.
Dallas already made a move for cornerback Joey Porter Jr., but with the pass rush still coming up short, another swing could be on the table. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano floated Sweat as a trade candidate and tied him to the Cowboys, with Fowler writing: "The Cowboys might have one more move in them.
Perhaps that's shortsighted, given their 2-4 record. But that might as well be 4-4 in this season's NFC East climate, where no commodity is proven and Philly's transitional state has cracked the door open.
As one team exec pointed out to me Tuesday, Josh Sweat to Dallas makes a lot of sense. He fits Dallas' profile, and the Cowboys need edge-rush help," Fowler wrote.
That kind of move would fit the way Dallas has operated over the last 12-18 months. The front office has been aggressive, and even with the Cowboys sitting at 2-4, the idea of adding another proven defender doesn’t feel far-fetched.
The draft capital is tighter than it used to be - Dallas has four picks in next year’s draft and is without its 2028 second-round pick - but that hasn’t stopped Jerry Jones and company from pushing their chips in. If the pass rush is this thin, it’s easy to see why they’d keep looking.
Sweat is with the Cardinals, who are also 2-4. Arizona has stayed competitive, but it still doesn’t look like a true contender, which could make Sweat available if the Cardinals want more draft picks in return.
The veteran pass rusher brings a strong body of work. Across 127 games and 87 starts with Arizona and Philadelphia, Sweat has put up 281 total tackles, 70 tackles for loss, 57 sacks and 11 forced fumbles.
This season, he has 14 total tackles, two sacks and 14 QB pressures. Next Gen Stats also has him at four quick pressures under 2.5 seconds, a time-to-pressure rate of 2.81 seconds, a 10.9 percent pressure rate and a time-to-sack rate of 4.37 seconds.
There’s also a familiarity factor here that could smooth the transition. Ryan Smith and Klayton Adams both coached Sweat in Arizona before landing in Dallas, and Emari Demercado and Jalen Thompson were teammates of his in Glendale.
That matters because the Cowboys need help, and they need it fast. Through six games, Dallas is tied for 31st in the league with eight sacks.
Quinnen Williams leads the team with two, but he’s a defensive tackle. Rashan Gary and Malachi Lawrence each have one sack, while Donovan Ezeiruaku has a half sack.
The deeper numbers show why the pressure to add another edge rusher makes sense. Gary has 23 QB pressures, but his time-to-sack rate sits at 7.28 seconds and his time to pressure is 2.99 seconds. He has seven quick pressures, yet that has only produced a 0.8 percent sack rate.
Ezeiruaku has played the most snaps among Dallas pass rushers with 272, but he has only 15 pressures and one quick pressure. His sack rate is 0.4 percent. Lawrence, meanwhile, is still adjusting as a rookie, with eight pressures, three quick pressures, a 6.86-second time-to-sack rate and a 2.84-second time-to-pressure rate.
That’s why Sweat stands out. He’s a nine-year veteran, he’s been through big games, including a Super Bowl, and he would give Dallas a proven pass rusher instead of hoping the current rotation finally clicks.
He is under contract for $23.6 million in 2027 and 2028, with an out after the 2027 season. For a player with his track record, that’s not a crushing number, and it reportedly might not take more than a fourth-rounder to get him. That’s the kind of price that could make Sweat the final defensive splash Dallas makes.
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