The New England Patriots look to return to the Super Bowl after losing to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.
Zak Kuhr officially holds the title of defensive coordinator after serving as interim in his first season with the six-time Super Bowl-winning franchise last season.
Now with time to craft the defense in his image, the Pats defense is looking stronger than it did in the 2025 season. New England fortified multiple spots on the defensive side of the ball, including safety after signing Kevin Byard to a one-year deal.
There is still plenty of time for Kuhr and head coach Mike Vrabel to make quality additions to the defense before the end of preseason.
One NFL writer floated a trade pitch to bolster the team’s EDGE room ahead of the 2026 season.
Trade Idea Lands Pats Pro Bowl Pass Rusher
GettyThe Patriots could add a Pro Bowler to its defensive line
The New England Patriots recorded 35 sacks in the 2025 Super Bowl campaign, which puts them in the bottom half of the league.
Needing help in the pass rush game, an NFL writer dropped a trade idea that would land them some assistance on the EDGE,
Wynston Wilcox of FanSided’s trade idea lands the Pats pass rusher Josh Sweat from the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick.
“New England is right in the middle of their championship window and if they learned anything from their Super Bowl 60 loss, it’s that they need a better defensive front. That’s exactly what Sweat gives them,” Wilcox wrote. “Christian Gonzalez and this man-pressure defense Mike Vrabel has constructed is only productive when you have a pass rush that scares even the best of offensive lines.”
“Add Sweat into the mix and now the Patriots look a little bit more dangerous… I don’t think the Patriots will give up that much for Sweat, but if the Cardinals get greedy, [Dremont] Jones may become part of the deal and the Patriots could either take the draft pick back altogether or swap in a Day 3 pick… The Cardinals don’t necessarily need a lot of veterans, but it doesn’t hurt with how young this defense is.”
Arizona’s front office mentioned they have no intention of trading the EDGE rusher, but previous teams have made similar statements before trading away a player. Sweat recorded 12 sacks for the 3-14 Cardinals last season, a notable amount for a team that played poorly.
Pro Football Focus gave Sweat a 74.2 overall grade and a 73.5 pass-rush grade for the Cardinals defense that allowed 28.7 points per game last season.
If Josh Sweat were to end up in Foxborough, it would strengthen an already quality Pats EDGE room.
Patriots Pass Rusher Dealing with Injury
GettyA member of the Patriots EDGE room is currently injured
Harold Landry had an impressive first season with the New England Patriots, taking down opposing quarterbacks 8.5 times in 15 games.
But the EDGE rusher, who is entering the second year of his $43.5 million deal, is currently on the PUP list due to a lingering knee issue from the 2025 season.
Head coach Mike Vrabel said he didn’t want to rush Landry’s recovery and that the pass rusher is continuing to improve.
If Landry is ready for Week 1, the Pats could pull the trigger on Josh Sweats, who played in every game last season for the Cardinals.
Patriots Trade Pitch Lands Mike Vrabel $62 Million Pro Bowler