RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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It was a sight for sore eyes when Arizona Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat participated in practice Monday for the first time in training camp after being removed from the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
He was seen with a brace and sleeve on his left knee/leg, although he has worn the brace throughout his career after a major knee injury in high school in 2014.
In a drama-filled offseason that included speculation he’d requested a trade, absence from the offseason program and then being placed on PUP when camp opened July 22, scant information was provided throughout the summer. That only led understandably to persistent questions.
Now, at the age of 29, and in retrospect, it only makes sense that given his history and how the 2025 season ended, being conservative was important so the Cardinals could protect their investment and provide him the best possible chance of giving the team 17 games, which he did last season.
However, a closer look shows that Sweat’s snaps and productivity plummeted during the final eight games of the 2025 season, a stretch that saw the Cardinals lose each of those games and with a defense that lost four by a combined score of 159-71.
In the first nine games, Sweat was never on the injury report and didn’t miss any practice time. He averaged 37.2 snaps per game for an average of 54.8 percent. He also had 8.0 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits and 14 solo tackles.
The final eight games were a glaringly different story, beginning with a 25-snap output against the 49ers in which he was listed during the week with a rest day while not practicing on Thursday and then having a knee injury added and being limited Friday.
Prior to the next week’s overtime loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars , he was not on the injury report and ended up playing 42 snaps (68 percent). The snaps tied for his third-most of the season and the percentage was his highest.
The following week, Sweat didn’t practice on Wednesday because of an eye issue, but was a full participant the next two days. He played 34 snaps (56 percent, sixth-most of the season) in a 20-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , and had 2.0 sacks, three tackles (one for loss), a forced fumble and QB hit.
It went downhill after that. He never practiced again on Wednesday while having other DNPs in the final five weeks. Rest was listed for three games, and then the final two he had an ankle and knee injury, which were injured against the Atlanta Falcons when he played only seven snaps. He was questionable each week and played a total of 43 snaps for 31 and 25 percent.
In the final five practice weeks, he didn’t practice on nine days and was limited or full on three days each.
In those last five games, his snap total was 104 with an average of 28.8 percent and he had only one sack, solo tackle, tackle for loss and QB hit.
Compared to the numbers above in the first nine games, in the final eight, he averaged 25.6 snaps (39.1 percent) with 4.0 sacks, three tackles for loss, six solo stops and five QB hits.
While the absence in the final nine games of linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. (all nine), defensive lineman Walter Nolen III (four) and a combined 13 for cornerbacks Will Johnson and Garrett Williams, and safeties Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson were a big factor in the losing streak, the Sweat angle can’t be ignored.
Overall, Sweat had virtually no impact with game-changing plays in the final quarter of one-score games in which the Cardinals were 0-8 after the first two games of the season.
He has to play at a high level this season to justify his salary-cap charge of $16.385 million (second-highest on the team), and for the Cardinals to bring him back in 2027, much less 2028 when there is no guaranteed money remaining on his contract and the base salary and cap hit each year is $17 million and $23.6 million, respectively.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify , YouTube or Apple Podcasts .
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: A closer look at Arizona Cardinals LB Josh Sweat’s 2025 season
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