The Baltimore Ravens have a highly paid edge rusher, Trey Hendrickson, who can’t stay healthy, to absolutely no one’s surprise.
The Ravens knew about Hendrickson’s injury issues before they signed him to a 4-year, $112 million free-agent contract in March because he was the best option available after backing out of a trade for Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
Now, with a season that seems to be teetering on the brink heading into Week 7, the Ravens could have a path to an elite edge rusher who is a proven winner and available to play in actual games: disgruntled Arizona Cardinals star Josh Sweat.
Josh Sweat Tops List of NFL Trade Candidates
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox put Sweat at the top of his list of NFL trade candidates heading into Week 7 and just weeks out from the November 10 NFL trade deadline.
In Knox’s model, Sweat would cost only a 2027 conditional 4th-round pick — the real hurdle would be the 4-year, $76.4 million contract he signed before the 2025 season.
Nobody said winning would be cheap.
“Arizona general manager Monti Ossenfort will likely consider making other moves ahead of the deadline, and pass-rusher Josh Sweat is a prime trade candidate to track,” Knox wrote. “The Cardinals‘ GM dismissed the idea of moving Sweat during the offseason, but stronger offers could come in-season as teams gear up for a playoff run. Sweat, who has two sacks, three tackles for loss, and seven quarterback pressures this season, should draw significant interest. While Sweat can help the Cardinals now, he also looms as a likely 2027 cap casualty. Arizona can release him with a post-June 1 designation in the spring and save $18.1 million in cap space next offseason.”
Josh Sweat: Underrated, Dominant Edge Rusher
Sweat, 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, has spent his career moving in silence and violence as one of the NFL’s most underrated edge rushers.
Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 4th round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Sweat was a key part of two defenses that reached the Super Bowl — losing in 2022, then winning in 2024, when he led the team in sacks.
For some reason, the Eagles didn’t want to pay Sweat what he was worth, but the Cardinals did. He was one of the team’s few bright spots in 2025, with 12.5 sacks as the team stumbled to a 3-14 record.
Sweat was noticeably absent from minicamp in May — reports that he was seeking a trade made him an attractive target for any team needing that rare talent.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano put Sweat at the top of his list of NFL players who could find new teams by the NFL trade deadline.
“Sweat has two years left on his contract, but none of the money beyond this season is guaranteed, and he did spend a chunk of the offseason in a contract dispute with the team,” Graziano wrote on October 2. “At one point, he reportedly requested a trade. I don’t want to pick on the Cardinals, who have shown a great deal of fight under first-year head coach Mike LaFleur and could well be 2-2 after this weekend. But if they do tumble out of contention, that’s not the kind of thing that makes veterans with contract gripes stop wanting out. Sweat is a Super Bowl champion who’s not yet 30 and could be very interesting to pass-rush-needy teams at the deadline. He is without a sack so far in 2026, but he had 12 last season.”
Ravens Trade Pitch Targets $74 Million Super Bowl Champion