Latest news with #JoshSweat
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Eagles Pass Rush Remains 'Dilemma' In 2025
Eagles Pass Rush Remains 'Dilemma' In 2025 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Philadelphia Eagles are in a dilemma this offseason. Their roster appears to be good enough to compete for another Super Bowl run, but there's one lingering weakness they have to deal with. Advertisement And it's the one weakness that may not be solved this season. FanSided's Ryan Heckman made it clear that the Eagles have a "dilemma" with the pass rush heading into training camp, especially after all their losses during the offseason. "With training camp around the corner, the Philadelphia Eagles are still looking thin at one specific position, and to this point, Howie Roseman has not done much to remedy the concern," Heckman said. "Spoiler alert: it's the pass rush. The Eagles watched their group's best player, Josh Sweat, sign with the Arizona Cardinals and did not do a lot this offseason to remedy that loss. "Howie Roseman will watch the Eagles enter training camp with massive question marks at edge rusher." Advertisement Sweat wasn't the only pass rusher on the team who left this offseason. Brandon Graham retired, and Milton Williams, a defensive tackle, also left on the open market. Philadelphia needs to determine whether it can rely on young players like Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt without having to spend important draft capital on a trade. If both Smith and Hunt can step up immediately, the Eagles' defense should remain a top unit in the league. Philadelphia also added free agents Josh Uche and Azeez Ojulari to bolster the group's depth. Will it be enough? Only time will tell in that regard. Related: ESPN Links Eagles To Possible Signing of Asante Samuel Jr. Related: Eagles Young Cornerback Remains Big Winner of Offseason This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Arizona Cardinals' signings result in only 1 projected compensatory pick for another team
Arizona Cardinals' signings result in only 1 projected compensatory pick for another team The Cardinals will not get any compensatory picks in 2026, but only one other team benefits from their offseason signings The NFL will not announce 2026 compensatory picks until next year, but because the compensatory period for free agency is over, we can estimate what picks teams will have. The Arizona Cardinals will not get any compensatory picks for the second straight year as they added four qualifying free agents (OLB Josh Sweat, DL Calais Campbell, QB Jacoby Brissett, LB Akeem Davis-Gaither) and lost only one (DL Roy Lopez). DL Dalvin Tomlinson, because he was released by the Cleveland Browns, does not qualify as a compensatory loss or gain. But of their free agent additions, only one team is gaining a draft pick as a result. According to Over the Cap, only the Philadelphia Eagles will receive a compensatory pick for the Cardinals' signings. The Eagles are projected to get a fourth-round compensatory pick in 2026 for losing Sweat. Brissett would have been worth a sixth-round pick for the New England Patriots, but their additions cancelled out that potential pick. They signed more qualifying free agents than they lost, like the Cardinals. Campbell would have been worth a sixth-round pick for the Miami Dolphins, but their offseason signing of guard James Daniels cancelled out the loss. Davis-Gaither's contract with the Cardinals was worth a seventh-round compensatory selection for the Cincinnati Bengals, but their signing of DT Tedarrell Slaton cancels out the loss. So of all the Cardinals' offseason additions, only the Eagles benefit. 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.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arizona Cardinals named 1 of NFL's most improved teams in offseason
The Arizona Cardinals, coming off an 8-9 season in 2024, made great strides in improving their roster this offseason. Almost all their offseason additions, both in free agency and the 2025 NFL draft focused on their defense. With their moves, they were named one of the seven most improved teams by Nick Shook. Like another team on this list (New England), Arizona had some money to spend and needs to address. That's how the Cardinals landed edge rusher Josh Sweat, reuniting him with Jonathan Gannon, who helped Sweat enjoy his best seasons in Philadelphia while serving as the Eagles' defensive coordinator. DE Calais Campbell returns to the team with which he spent the first nine seasons of his career. He provides a veteran presence, as does Dalvin Tomlinson, helping to revamp the defensive front in one offseason. Rookie DT Walter Nolen (drafted 16th overall) will play a part, too, along with CB Will Johnson, a first-round talent who slid into Round 2 (No. 47) because of concerns about his knee, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, though Johnson later said he's healthy. Keep an eye on linebacker Cody Simon, who enters the NFL as a fourth-round pick (No. 115) after enjoying an incredible run through the College Football Playoff with Ohio State, starring in a dominant Rose Bowl win over Oregon and juicing his draft stock along the way. Advertisement Arizona's offense was solid in 2024. It was their defense that needed work. They were bad at stopping the run, sacking the quarterback and forcing turnovers. With their added talent up front, they should both be better against the run and produce more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. That should lead to more takeaways. Looking back at the 2021 season, their first-half success was because the defense was better than advertised, which improved the offense, which, in turn, made it harder to run against them. The offense is largely unchanged in terms of personnel in 2025, but the defense, with major additions to every level, should be much improved. The other teams named with the Cardinals are the most improved were the Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots and New York Jets. Advertisement 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. This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Arizona Cardinals' roster one of NFL's most improved
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Arizona Cardinals named 1 of NFL's most improved teams in offseason
Arizona Cardinals named 1 of NFL's most improved teams in offseason listed the seven most improved teams this offseason. The Cardinals make the cut. The Arizona Cardinals, coming off an 8-9 season in 2024, made great strides in improving their roster this offseason. Almost all their offseason additions, both in free agency and the 2025 NFL draft focused on their defense. With their moves, they were named one of the seven most improved teams by Nick Shook. Like another team on this list (New England), Arizona had some money to spend and needs to address. That's how the Cardinals landed edge rusher Josh Sweat, reuniting him with Jonathan Gannon, who helped Sweat enjoy his best seasons in Philadelphia while serving as the Eagles' defensive coordinator. DE Calais Campbell returns to the team with which he spent the first nine seasons of his career. He provides a veteran presence, as does Dalvin Tomlinson, helping to revamp the defensive front in one offseason. Rookie DT Walter Nolen (drafted 16th overall) will play a part, too, along with CB Will Johnson, a first-round talent who slid into Round 2 (No. 47) because of concerns about his knee, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, though Johnson later said he's healthy. Keep an eye on linebacker Cody Simon, who enters the NFL as a fourth-round pick (No. 115) after enjoying an incredible run through the College Football Playoff with Ohio State, starring in a dominant Rose Bowl win over Oregon and juicing his draft stock along the way. Arizona's offense was solid in 2024. It was their defense that needed work. They were bad at stopping the run, sacking the quarterback and forcing turnovers. With their added talent up front, they should both be better against the run and produce more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. That should lead to more takeaways. Looking back at the 2021 season, their first-half success was because the defense was better than advertised, which improved the offense, which, in turn, made it harder to run against them. The offense is largely unchanged in terms of personnel in 2025, but the defense, with major additions to every level, should be much improved. The other teams named with the Cardinals are the most improved were the Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots and New York Jets. 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.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Eagles Defense Called 'Miles Ahead' of Last Year's Top Unit
Eagles Defense Called 'Miles Ahead' of Last Year's Top Unit originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Last season, Vic Fangio and his experienced staff gave the Philadelphia Eagles a crash course on playing defense. Advertisement Things are different this time, even if the team is reeling from some concerning offseason losses. Philadelphia lost several starters from its championship defense last year. Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Darius Slay, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson are just some of the key starters who will be on different teams this year. That doesn't mean the Eagles will be worse on defense, though. Speaking on the Exciting Mics podcast with teammates Reed Blankenship and Cooper DeJean, All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun discussed how this year's unit could be very different. In the best possible way. "To think that was all of our first year in that scheme. Like, what are we going to do next year? Baun stated. "Already, I feel like we're miles ahead of where we were last year at this time." Advertisement Scheme alone can win out in the NFL. When a scheme is married with top talent, the effects can be among the best in the league. That is exactly what the Eagles did last season. Fangio's system allowed Philadelphia's top defense to excel, and it's how the team shut down one of the biggest blowout efforts in Super Bowl LIX. With another year under the Fangio scheme, Philadelphia's defense has a chance to be even more "put together" than last season. If the team can successfully build off their dominant season last year, the defense can be another catalyst for a potential repeat effort. It looks that way, regardless. Advertisement Related: Eagles Biggest 'Hidden' Schedule Matchup Driven by 'Hate' Related: Eagles' Reed Blankenship Could Be Next Up for Major Move This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
