The Dallas Cowboys still have time to add a proven pass rusher before the 2026 season, and there’s a clearcut candidate waiting for them: Arizona Cardinals defensive end Josh Sweat.

Sweat, a Pro Bowl edge rusher who set a career high with 12 sacks in 2025, has become the subject of trade speculation after multiple NFL teams called the Cardinals about his availability. For a Cowboys defense that ranked among the NFL’s worst last season, acquiring Sweat would provide something this team desperately lacks at the position: certainty.

The latest intel on Sweat’s situation

According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Cardinals have received trade calls on Sweat. While he may not be officially on the trade block, there’s plenty of noise suggesting a split could make sense for both sides.

Sweat did not show up for OTAs this offseason and at least one insider, Johnny Venerables, has speculated Sweat isn’t exactly happy with the Cardinals.

And honestly, who could blame him? Arizona has done little to improve for 2026. The Cardinals have Jacoby Brissett in line to start at quarterback (if he gets a raise), let safety Jalen Thompson walk in free agency (he signed with Dallas, as Cowboys fans know well), and appear to be heading toward another difficult season. Some would dare accuse the front office of tanking. I wouldn’t blame them.

Any deal would likely need to happen on or after June 1 because of salary cap mechanics. If the Cardinals trade Sweat post-June 1, his cap hit would land around $10.8 million for them in savings. That number would be acquired by whoever trades for him with the possibility of lowering it. For the Cowboys, the contract is manageable. Despite the original deal carrying a $76 million total value, Dallas could use the 2029 void year in Sweat’s contract to spread out the cap hit.

Financially, this is doable. Football wise? I believe it makes too much sense.

Why Sweat would be a game-changer for Dallas

From 2020 to 2024, Sweat averaged eight sacks per year. That average doesn’t include his 2025 season, when he posted a career-high 12 sacks and 17 quarterback hits while also holding up as a solid run defender. In other words, at 29, he has yet to slow down.

If the Cowboys add Sweat, the entire conversation about whether they have two quality pass rushers changes. You’d be able to pair him with Quinnen Williams and feel confident both players will produce.

Right now, Dallas is banking on a lot of hope at the edge position. They’re hoping Donovan Ezeiruaku makes a second-year jump. They’re hoping Malachi Lawrence hits the ground running as a rookie. They’re hoping Rashan Gary looks like the first-half-of-2025 version of himself (seven sacks) and not the inconsistent second-half version who couldn’t get to the quarterback.

Sweat may not be an elite, Maxx Crosby-caliber pass rusher (whom the Cowboys targeted early in the offseason). But he would make the Cowboys feel significantly better about their pass-rushing situation. Worst case, he provides legitimate depth for an edge room that doesn’t have a lot of it beyond the top three. Best case, he’s a starter who produces at a level the Cowboys know he’s capable of reaching.

The draft capital argument is overblown

The biggest pushback from fans centers on draft picks. The Cowboys are limited in the 2027 NFL Draft, holding selections in the first three rounds, a couple of compensatory fifth-round picks, and some sixth-rounders (but no fourth, traded away for Gary).

Here’s the thing: Dallas still has a pick in each of the first three rounds. The narrative that they can’t afford to trade anything is, frankly, overblown. If the Cowboys are truly in a win-now window, agonizing over a third-round pick doesn’t make much sense.

Consider the precedent. Jonathan Greenard, who is arguably a better player than Sweat, was traded for a third-round pick. I don’t think Sweat would cost more than that. A third-rounder for a proven pass rusher who gives you clarity after fielding one of the worst defenses in football? I’d make that deal in a heartbeat.

Now granted, fans would be smart to temper expectations. After all, the front office has expressed a desire to take care of its 2027 draft picks. And they’re certainly not known for their aggression in making this type of deals happen. Even though they should.