The Packers may already have one major defensive swing on the books, but that shouldn’t stop them from chasing another.
With Micah Parsons aiming for a Week 6 return from injury, Green Bay still has reason to keep searching for help up front. The defense is solid, but in a crowded NFC North, solid doesn’t always get it done. That’s why Josh Sweat remains a name worth watching.
Sweat has been tied to the Packers multiple times this offseason, and the fit is easy to see. Matt LaFleur’s connection to the Arizona Cardinals could help open the door, and Sweat also has a history with defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. He played for Gannon when Gannon was the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator, which makes this feel less like a long shot and more like a natural conversation waiting to happen.
Arizona’s latest move only adds fuel to that idea. The Cardinals activated Sweat from the Physically Unable to Perform list, and while he was never thought to be dealing with anything major, Green Bay should use its preseason matchup with Arizona to keep pushing the idea of a deal.
There’s also a business side to this for the Cardinals. Barring a major surprise, they’re expected to be one of the league’s weakest teams in 2026, and their season already has a rough look after rookie injuries to Jeremiyah Love and Chase Bisontis, with Bisontis out for the year. That makes veterans like Sweat more valuable as trade chips while they still have real market value.
For Green Bay, the timing lines up with urgency. The Packers won’t have a first-round pick in 2027 because of the Parsons trade, but that shouldn’t keep them from being aggressive now. If it takes a third-round pick to land Sweat, they should at least be willing to consider it.
Sweat’s 2024 season gives the case real weight. He started all 17 games for a Cardinals team that struggled badly, finishing with 30 tackles, including 13 for loss, 17 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles, two passes defensed, one fumble recovery, and 12.0 sacks.
The Packers do have other young pass-rush options they’re hoping will grow into bigger roles. Rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton has reportedly impressed in camp, and the team still believes Lukas Van Ness can take another step after being something of a mixed bag so far. Even so, Sweat would walk in as the most proven option of the bunch.
And even once Parsons is back, there’s no guarantee he’ll be at full throttle right away. The Packers are expected to manage his workload early, which only strengthens the case for another impact rusher alongside him.
They already made the big move for Parsons. Now they may need one more to make the pass rush truly dangerous.
In Other News...
Packers Bubble Battle Just Got Much Harder To Call
The Packers wrapped up the preseason with a 42-38 win over the Arizona Cardinals, and even with a lot of their top players sitting out, there were still plenty of roster decisions to chew on. Backup quarterback Kyle McCord made a strong case for himself in the finale, throwing for 226 yards and four touchdowns, while rookie defensive player Dani Dennis-Sutton notched a sack in his NFL debut and kicker Trey Smack handled his chances cleanly with two field goals and four extra points.
Green Bays reserve defense, though, gave up plenty of yardage and left a few fringe players with uneven tape at the worst possible time, which is exactly why the bubble is tougher to read now than it was a week ago. A final preseason game is supposed to help sort out the edges of the roster, but for the Packers, it may have only made a few of those decisions more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Just Got A Tougher Final Receiver Decision Than Expected
Several lower-end Packers wide receivers made a late push in the third preseason game, giving the front office more to weigh as roster cuts approach. J. Michael Sturdivant stood out most on the box score, finishing with six catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, while Isaiah Neyor, Will Sheppard and Kisean Johnson also found ways to help their cases with scoring plays and special teams work.
Still, the problem in Green Bay is simple: there are only so many wide receiver spots to go around. The competition has made the back end of the depth chart a lot less clear than it looked going in, and performances like these only sharpen the question of which receivers have done enough to survive the final trim to 53. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Face Three Tough Roster Calls As Cutdown Day Nears
With roster cutdown day arriving Aug. 30, the Packers are getting close to the part of camp where every snap carries extra weight. Green Bay has to trim from 90 players to 53, and that means a few bubble players are running out of time to make a late push or find a clearer path into the picture.
Darian Kinnard, Drake Dabney and Domani Jackson all appear to be on shaky ground based on how they have looked in preseason and where they sit on the depth chart. The evaluations so far have left each of them fighting an uphill battle, even as the Packers sort through the bigger roster puzzle and determine which fringe players are worth carrying into the regular season. [Read more 🡒]