The Dallas Cowboys are just 2-4 in what has been a massively disappointing season that began with this unit sizing itself up as a true NFL contender and has since gone off the rails in the past two weeks. But through no fault of its own, this Cowboys team stands about as good a chance as any to find itself in the playoffs in January, thanks in large part to the fact that no other team in the NFC East has been healthy or functional here in the first month-plus of the year. If you’re the Cowboys, then, there’s no real reason not to keep building on the current foundation, because it’s better than where the Giants, Commanders or Eagles are. So maybe they should go get Josh Sweat.
It’s become clear that the Dallas needs changes, and the team has shown a willingness to start making them. They brought in senior adviser Mike Pettine last week and also swapped two new starters into place: Malachi Lawrence at defensive edge and Brevyn Spann-Ford at tight end. But they still need at least one more player.
Cowboys Need More Edge Help
And that player ought to be an edge rusher. The Cowboys got a better effort from their front in Week 6, with Lawrence in the mix and with Rashan Gary putting forth arguably his best performance yet as a Cowboy. But neither is a true quarterback-hunting edge, and the Cowboys simply need someone up front who can make more plays and get sacks. That’s Sweat, a former Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champ when he was with the Eagles who has 57.0 sacks to his credit and 2.0 so far this season.
That’s the view from CBS Sports’ Carter Bahns, who points out that the Cardinals said publicly that they’re not trading Sweat, though Sweat was unhappy with the coaching change that saw Jonathan Gannon fired and Arizona has little to play for this season.
Josh Sweat an ‘Obvious Trade Candidate’
The Cowboys are very low on draft capital in 2027, but still, they’re in win-now mode. Sweat makes sense in that context.
Writes Bahns: “(As for) Josh Sweat, there might not be a more obvious trade candidate on a team that is not built to contend for anything in 2026. Sweat denied any displeasure with his contract, but there was offseason smoke that he sought a restructured deal or a trade.
“He is an expensive veteran for a franchise attempting to build a young core and boasts the kind of perennial sack production and team contract control that a competitive team would pay a premium for. If the Cowboys moved a couple of draft picks to land Sweat, this would be a win-win.”
Again, a couple of picks is easier said than done–Dallas has only three picks in the first five rounds next year.
Cowboys Proposed Trade Lands ‘Obvious’ 57-Sack Champ