The Philadelphia Eagles are interested in trading one of their top pass-rushers.
According to a report dated March 9 from Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Eagles are taking trade calls on veteran pass rusher Josh Sweat.
Sweat, 26, is currently in the best years of his career and is coming off a strong 2023 regular season where he recorded 6.5 sacks with 43 total tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, Sweat also accumulated 68 total quarterback pressures with a strong 74.1 pass-rush rating from the outlet.
Even though his performance declined in 2023, Sweat believes he was still performing at a high level.
“It’s just not showing up how I want it to,” Sweat informed NBCSports Philadelphia. “I’m impacting the quarterback. That’s all I can say. I am impacting the quarterback more than I ever have in my career, at a higher level than I ever have in my career, won more rushes.
“The sacks just haven’t been happening but I’ve been rushing better than I have in my career. I’m even much better than I was last year with my rushes in terms of how much I’m around the quarterback, how much I’m hitting and how much I’m pressuring. That’s what keeps me going. Whether it (the sacks) comes or not, I’m going to keep impacting the quarterback.”
During the Eagles’ journey to the Super Bowl after the 2022 season, Sweat emerged as one of the more disruptive pass rushers in the league and one of Philadelphia’s most dominant front seven defenders. That season, Sweat achieved a career-high 11 sacks and a personal-best 48 total tackles.
Why Eagles Might be Attempting to Trade Josh Sweat
The Eagles’ defense might be on the verge of undergoing a transformation with new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio taking over a unit that collapsed towards the end of last season.
Earlier this offseason, the Eagles also allowed top pass rusher Haason Reddick to search for a trade.
The Eagles, along with Fangio, could be trying to create opportunities for 2023 first-round draft pick Nolan Smith to get playing time. Smith only managed to get one sack during a rookie season where he was on the field for only 91 pass-rush snaps as a rotational player.
Because pass rushers are viewed as a valuable position, and this is expected to be a weak group of free agents, the Eagles could be motivated to gain extra draft picks this year. Given market conditions, Philadelphia could potentially receive a higher-than-expected price for Sweat.
What Would be the Salary Cap Implications of Sweat Trade?
Even after the salary cap increased to an unprecedented $255.4 million in 2024, general manager Howie Roseman and the Eagles might want to create extra spending flexibility before the new league year begins.
However, trading Sweat wouldn’t be the most cap-friendly move.
Teams can always negotiate which team takes on a portion of a player’s remaining salary and responsibilities against the cap. However, if the Eagles trade Sweat before June 1, the move would result in a $14.31 million dead-money charge while costing an additional $5.38 million against the cap for the 2024 season.
As of March 9, Roseman and the Eagles now have about $40.7 million in cap space, which is the 16th-highest spending flexibility in the league.
