The Arizona Cardinals made a number of notable moves in the offseason on defense. Their biggest move money-wise was adding linebacker Josh Sweat, signing him to a four-year, $76.4 million deal.
They hope he can jump start their presence off the edge.
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Bleacher Report named it one of the 25 best offseason moves, coming in at No. 23.
When last we saw Josh Sweat, he was giving Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes nightmares in Super Bowl LIX. That monstrous performance earned Sweat an equally robust contract from the Cardinals, where he will join the re-signed Baron Browning and youngster B.J. Ojulari on a pass rush that was middle of the pack in sacks a year ago. Got to get after the quarterback to succeed in today’s NFL.
Sweat had his two best NFL seasons in 2021 and 2022 when Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon was his defensive coordinator and Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis was his linebackers coach. Last season, he had eight sacks and added another two and a half in the Super Bowl.
But Sweat isn’t just a solid pass rusher. He is great and physical against the run, something that Rallis loves.
Sweat’s addition should both improve the pass rush and the Cardinals’ run defense, both of which were problems in 2024.
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With Sweat and the return of Ojulari and Baron Browning, their edge presence should be solid.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Arizona Cardinals signing LB Josh Sweat named one of best moves in NFL