The Arizona Cardinals are hoping for a big season out of edge rusher Josh Sweat in 2025. The former Philadelphia Eagle has shown the ability to take over games throughout the beginning of his career, and the expectation remains the same.
ESPN’s Ben Solak released his “2025 NFL season X factors” list Thursday morning, with Sweat taking the crown for Arizona. The Cardinals’ highest-paid free agent is one piece of a revamped pass rush, with the team hoping he can be the leader of the group.
“I embrace [the leadership role],” Sweat said. “At the end of the day, I’m just trying to be the best teammate I can be, help out however I can… Everybody should be a leader. I just want to help change whoever I can and make them better.”
With a team full of talent up front defensively, the one thing lacking was a dominant presence. Sweat has proven he can be that in the past, but now he will be the top rusher on his team, drawing more attention from opposing offenses.
A Reunion Could Make All the Difference
Head coach Jonathan Gannon coached Josh Sweat with the Eagles back in 2022 during the 28-year-old’s best year of his career to this point. Sweat was a dominant force on the edge, finishing the year with 11 sacks, 15 tackles for loss and 51 pressures.
Although his coach is in a bigger role with the Cardinals, Sweat is happy to be back with him. He credits a good deal of the successful relationship they had to Gannon’s ability to let him do what he does best, trusting he’ll make the right decisions.
“You can tell [Gannon’s] got a little bit more on his plate,” Sweat said. “But he’s still the same guy that I remember, to the core.”
Gannon understands Sweat’s skill set, feeling confident he can utilize him to impact games on a regular basis. Heading into his eighth season in the NFL, Sweat has a wealth of knowledge, that he’s carrying over to Arizona.
“From a standpoint of what [Sweat’s] job description is, that’s not [going to] change much,” Gannon said. “It’s just tweaking his game; There’s some differences than what we did with him when I was with him, to what we do now. He picked it up quick. Hopefully it’s for the betterment of him.”
The Pieces Are Coming Together
Josh Sweat won’t be alone in the front seven, with plenty of playmakers around him. Although he’ll most likely see the majority of chips and double teams, he should help free up his teammates.
Despite not playing in the preseason, Sweat proved he can have success as a team’s top threat off the edge. During training camp, the 28-year-old was consistently getting after the quarterback, even getting himself into trouble early on.
“[Sweat] got too close to the quarterback, which I told him about in front of everybody; He understood,” Gannon said after practice on July 24. “He’s [going to] set edges and he’s [going to] affect the passer, so exactly why we signed him, that’s what he did.”
The addition of Sweat, paired with multiple other draft picks and signings to help the pass rush, should prove to be a big change in 2025. As the leader of the group with the highest expectations, Sweat will have to lead the way.
Cardinals $76 Million Edge Rusher Labeled the Team’s X Factor