Josh Sweat spent the entire offseason and all of training camp on the shelf. That ended Monday, when the Cardinals activated him off the physically unable to perform list and got him back on the practice field for the first time since last season wrapped.
Cardinals activated edge rusher Josh Sweat from PUP.
Adam Schefter followed up hours later with the fuller picture: Sweat was activated Monday and returned to the field for the first time since the end of last season, a clean bill of health after a knee injury that had shut him out of every voluntary offseason session and every camp practice.
Arizona Cardinals pass rusher Josh Sweat was activated off the physically unable to perform list Monday and returned to the field for the first time since the end of last season. More via @joshweinfuss: t.co/SMBkmf1VsS
The knee issue dates back to before camp even opened, when Sweat was one of 4 Cardinals players tagged for the PUP list. He showed up for mandatory minicamp in June but didn't practice, and coach Mike LaFleur has said the pass rusher stayed involved in meetings while working through recovery behind the scenes. None of it was considered serious, but the whole summer disappeared for a guy Arizona is counting on.
That's because Sweat isn't just a rotational piece. He signed a 4-year, $76.4 million deal after helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl, and he backed it up with a career-high 12 sacks last season for Arizona — production that got him buzz as a Pro Bowl snub when he landed as only an alternate. With 3 years still left on that contract, multiple teams reportedly called about his availability this offseason amid the frustration, and GM Monti Ossenfort shut it down cold, saying flatly there was no interest in trading him.
Getting Sweat back matters more given who else left the building this week — Arizona waived running back Trey Benson the same day it activated him, a reminder that final roster cuts are colliding with the return of the defense's best player. LaFleur has already flagged that edge rushers coming off long layoffs face a different kind of reset, from finding a stance to finding contact again on third down.
With the season opener set for Sept. 13, the Cardinals now have a couple of weeks to get their best pass rusher game-ready instead of scrambling to replace him. For a defense that was thin up front without him, just having Sweat back at practice is the headline.