The Cowboys have been connected again to a trade for Josh Sweat. Per NFL Trade Rumors, Adam Schefter reported that Dallas is a team to watch for the Cardinals outside linebacker, who is drawing trade interest before next week's deadline. NFL Trade Rumors adds that Schefter and Ian Rapoport linked Dallas and Sweat a week ago too. It describes the Cowboys as hoping to turn around a struggling defense. CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan lists Dallas among several potential landing spots, so the Cowboys are not the only team named.
Blogging The Boys is more emphatic. RJ Ochoa wrote that it "is starting to feel inevitable" and that a deal "feels more likely than not." That is the site's reading. The feed summaries we have don't include any reported terms, compensation or contract details, and nothing we have says Arizona has agreed to move him. Ochoa also notes there is still "a week and change" until the 2026 deadline.
Sweat's numbers this season are modest. He has two sacks in seven games, along with 16 tackles (11 solo), three tackles for loss and no forced fumbles. Last season he had 12 sacks and four forced fumbles in 17 games, and he had eight sacks in 16 games in 2024. The two sacks match CBS's note that he entered Week 8 with two. The pace is well below his recent seasons, but that is the production a buyer would be getting.
Arizona is 2-5, fourth in the NFC West, and has lost its last game. The Cardinals lost 30-16 to Denver on Oct. 25. Before that they beat the Rams 18-16 on Oct. 18 and lost 45-21 to Detroit on Oct. 11. Our data doesn't say why Arizona would sell, but the record is the context for the rumors.
Dallas is 3-4 and second in the NFC East. Its form has swung. The Cowboys lost 24-16 to Tampa Bay on Oct. 8 and 23-13 at Green Bay on Oct. 18, then won 38-21 at Philadelphia on Monday, Oct. 26. That win leaves them with a one-game winning streak, which fits NFL Trade Rumors' description of a defense that has struggled, though the sources don't give specifics.
The two teams meet today. Arizona visits Dallas on Sunday, Nov. 1, and NFL Trade Rumors notes the Cowboys will get "an up-close look" at Sweat. That makes this game the next data point for both sides before the deadline.
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