Eagles and Bears named possible landing spots for Josh Sweat amid murky Cardinals future

eagles/news/eagles-and-bears-named-possible-landing-spots-josh-sweat-amid-murky-cardinals-future/a589f434f8679e004910de89?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=appeared_on">Eagles and Bears named possible landing spots for Josh Sweat amid murky Cardinals future originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Arizona Cardinals and edge rusher Josh Sweat could be headed towards a breakup.

Sweat hasn’t been in attendance for Arizona’s voluntary OTAs this month, and according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Cardinals are now taking trade calls on the veteran edge rusher.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Sweat wants out of Arizona, as the 29-year-old shares a close relationship with Jonathan Gannon, who the Cardinals fired this offseason and replaced with Mike LaFleur. There was also a report back in March that Sweat requested a trade after Gannon’s firing, but the Cardinals shut him down.

Nevertheless, Sweat’s future in Arizona looks incredibly murky, so he could be on the move soon, and two NFC contenders could be possible landing spots for the Super Bowl LIX champion.

Eagles and Bears named possible landing spots for Sweat

In an article detailing potential trade suitors for Sweat, For the Win’s Cory Woodroof mentioned the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears.

A return to Philadelphia would make a lot of sense for Sweat and the Eagles. Though Philadelphia recently acquired Jonathan Greenard to pair with Nolan Smith Jr. at edge rusher, adding another dynamic pass rusher to bolster the defense wouldn’t hurt.

Sweat is coming off a productive season with 12 sacks and 47 quarterback pressures in 17 games, and would be a more reliable starting edge rusher option than Greenard, who is coming off a down year with just three sacks. Nevertheless, a pass-rushing rotation of Smith, Sweat, and Greenard would give the Eagles a lethal trio to generate pressure on the quarterback.

As for the Bears, edge rusher is a glaring need. The team is currently banking on Dayo Odeyingbo and Austin Booker to produce opposite Montez Sweat in the pass rush department.

Trading for Sweat from the Cardinals would take Chicago’s defense to another level and add a battle-tested veteran defender with plenty of playoff experience and a long history of solid production. Sweat has tallied at least 6.5 sacks in each of the last four seasons, including two double-digit sack years.

Due to his ties with Gannon, the Green Bay Packers could also be in the running for Sweat, as the former Cardinals head coach is now the Packers’ defensive coordinator. However, a reunion with the Eagles or heading to the Bears to bolster their pass tush and play alongside a fellow edge rusher with the last name Sweat also makes sense for the disgruntled Cardinals edge rusher.

Obviously, it’s Arizona’s decision whether they will trade Sweat, and, if they do, where he will land. But it would make sense to ship him off to a contender and receive some draft capital in return as the franchise continues its rebuild.