For the 1st time in 3 years, the Denver Broncos went an entire game without registering a sack in their Week 4 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
After leading the NFL in sacks for the last 2 seasons, it’s more than a cause for concern for the Broncos. It could be the undoing of their season if they don’t somehow figure out how to pull it together.
The biggest problem for the Broncos so far has been the lack of another dynamic edge rusher, with $60 million star Jonathon Cooper on the commissioner’s exempt list after 2 offseason arrests.
Sitting at 2-2 and with a boatload of injury issues starting to pop up — both starting cornerbacks Patrick Surtain II and Riley Moss went down against the 49ers — the quickest way for the Broncos to get their season back on track is with a trade for an elite edge rusher to replace Cooper, and they need to do it sooner rather than later.
Broncos Can Swap Draft Pick for Josh Sweat
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, 2 of the NFL’s elite edge rushers are about to be available in trades. One is Los Angeles Chargers veteran Khalil Mack. The Broncos can forget about him — no way they trade with an AFC West rival at this point.
The other is Arizona Cardinals star Josh Sweat, a Super Bowl champion who could be the perfect fit for the Broncos.
Sweat led the Philadelphia Eagles with 10.5 sacks in 2024 on the way to a Super Bowl win, then led the Arizona Cardinals with 12.5 sacks in 2025 after signing a 4-year, $76.4 million free agent contract.
That also means he won’t be cheap. The Broncos should be willing to cough up a 3rd-round pick and take on Sweat’s salary moving forward — he’s due $18.1 million each in 2026, 2027, and 2028, bringing his career earnings to about $116 million.
Why Josh Sweat Doesn’t Want to Play for Cardinals
Sweat saw dollar signs in taking the big money with the Cardinals — and a familiar face in Arizona head coach and former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
Unfortunately for Sweat, Gannon was fired after going 15-36 in 3 seasons, including 4-13 in 2025.
“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,” ESPN’s Dan 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.”
Broncos Trade Pitch Saves Defense With $116 Million NFC Star