With the trade deadline less than a week away, the Dallas Cowboys are sitting at 3-5 and should probably think about shipping off some assets to recoup some draft capital. That is what a reasonable front office would do, but the Cowboys don't have rational thinkers running the show.
As long as Jerry Jones is running the team, it's always going to be a situation to go all-in to win, which is admirable, but he should acknowledge the fact that operations have been a total disaster this year and it'd make more sense to punt on the playoffs as long as Brian Schottenheimer is still employed.
But that's just wishful thinking. All Jerry sees is that Dallas is just 1.5 games back of the New York Giants in the NFC East title race and with that comes an opportunity. The Cowboys have been rumored to be possible buyers for the deadline and are likely searching for more help on defense.
The rumor mill has been running rampant with this team (as it frequently does), and one of the names that has been frequently connected to them is Arizona Cardinals pass rusher Josh Sweat, someone fans should be very familiar with after his long stint in Philadelphia. He was also the guy who sacked Dak Prescott on third down in overtime on Sunday, which killed the drive and ultimately cost Dallas the game.
According to Jordan Schultz, Sweat is disgruntled in Arizona and is seemingly open to a trade as he's been floated in trade rumors all offseason. But unfortunately, despite all the rumors, it would make no sense for the Cowboys to acquire him.
The Dallas Cowboys have no reason to trade for Josh Sweat at the deadline
Josh Sweat is going to receive a lot of interest from EDGE-needy teams across the NFL, but it feels like the Cowboys are only a rumored landing spot because of how bad their defense is. But all acquiring him would do is take more snaps away from the young guys they should be building around.
If Sweat becomes a Cowboy, he'd instantly start over one of the two promising two young pass-rushers the Cowboys should have high hopes for in rookie Malachi Lawrence and second-year man Donovan Ezeiruaku, both of whom should be considered future cornerstones for this team.
Don't get me wrong, the 29-year-old is a damn good player. Anyone who can put up three sacks across a five-game span is pretty good at his job, and he's a solid run defender. But I'm not sure the price is worth it for a team that has been faltering when they have young EDGE rushers developing.
Moreover, more pass rush isn't as big a need as it appears.
According to Stat Rankings, the Cowboys' 34.4% pressure rate is sixth in the NFL this season, while their 36.6% pressure rate across the last three games is second only to the Seahawks. They're getting to the QB. Tackling and coverage have been the bigger issue, so why bring in Sweat to clog the rotation?
Here's the other thing we need to remember: the Cardinals are likely asking for a 2027 second- or third-round pick. That's not ideal for a team that may not be without their 2027 first-rounder because of the Quinnen Williams trade, and have no 2028 second-round pick thanks to the Joey Porter Jr. deal, so burning more draft picks on a team that can miss the playoffs makes no sense.
Across the last few months, Jerry Jones has given up plenty of draft capital and has been aggressive on the trade market, but the trade deadline is all about controlled aggression, and frankly, Josh Sweat is going to be too expensive for a team that isn't well-positioned to win a bidding war.
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