It seems like everyone wants the Dallas Cowboys to make the splashy move and give up a 1st-round pick or something equivalent to trade for Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
The smart move — and the better move — for the Cowboys would be to trade for a player lining up across from them in Week 8: Arizona Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat.
“There is interest in Cardinals OLB Josh Sweat, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Sunday. “A team to watch with Sweat is the Cowboys, who will get an up close look at him today, when Dallas hosts Arizona.”
“There is a lot of smoke building around the idea of the Dallas Cowboys trading for Josh Sweat,” Blogging the Boys’ RJ Ochoa wrote on his official X account on Sunday morning.
For anyone who knows what kind of player Sweat is, it’s hard not to see him as the type of player who could lift any team’s defense to another level.
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.
In Knox’s model, Sweat would cost only a 2027 conditional 4th-round pick — the real hurdle is his contract.
“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.
Cowboys Called ‘Team to Watch’ in Blockbuster Trade Pitch