Arizona Cardinals Josh Sweat has now tied his career high in sacks after racking up two sacks in his team's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-17 in Week 13 action.
Philadelphia Eagles fans aren't too happy about what's happening in Arizona this season with Sweat. While fans may not be upset with Sweat directly, they are fuming at general manager Howie Roseman, especially given how anemic the Philadelphia pass rush has been this season.
Sweat now has 11.0 sacks so far this season and has an outside shot of matching Chandler Jones' franchise record of 19. While the Cardinals have put together a 3-9 season and will most likely spend the playoffs at home, the feeling of seeing Sweat dominate for an unsuccessful team after the Eagles were unable to re-sign him is extremely frustrating.
Philly made a mistake not trying to bring back Sweat
The Eagles have failed to replace Sweat, with their EDGE group totaling 10.5 sacks. The Eagles have been proactive in generating some pass rush with the mid-season signing of Za'Darius Smith, who retired after five games, coaxing Brandon Graham out of retirement, and trading for Jaelan Phillips, with the trifecta accounting for 2.5 sacks.
The Eagles' one bright spot in their pass rush has been Moro Ojomo, who leads the team with four sacks and has done a nice job of replacing Milton Williams, who is now with the New England Patriots. As a unit, the Eagles' defense has totaled 24.0 sacks, putting them on pace for 34 this season, seven less than their 2024 total.
Read more: Eagles can only rely on one star defender after an abysmal loss to Bears
While there are many factors contributing to the Eagles' defensive struggles, the absence of pass-rushers like Sweat, Milton Williams, and Bryce Huff only adds to the frustration of a season marked by inconsistency and unmet expectations. While their departures are not the sole reason for the Eagles ' anemic pass rush, they do shine a light on the much broader failures so far this season.