Jun 10, 2025; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals linebacker Josh Sweat (10) during minicamp at the teams Arizona Cardinals Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Arizona Cardinals' New Star Cracks NFL's Top 100

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Alex D'Agostino | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 4:00 PM ET

It's that time of the offseason. The NFL is beginning to roll out their top 100 players ahead of the 2025 season, and one Arizona Cardinals star has already cracked the list.

The Cardinals are not far removed from struggling to put even one or two players on this list. And outside of star safety Budda Baker, there wasn't much chance of a defensive player getting much recognition by the NFL.

But after an extremely active offseason, the Cardinals' defense now has a handful of players worthy of making that list.

One player in particular was named in the first group of players revealed: pass rusher Josh Sweat.

Arizona Cardinals' Josh Sweat ranked No. 95 in NFL

NFL.com's Bobby Kownack had this to say about Sweat's position in the first wave of top 100 players:

"Sweat might have made the list on his Super Bowl performance alone. He was the most damaging of Philadelphia’s game-wrecking pass rushers, leading the defense with six quarterback pressures and 2.5 sacks as the Eagles thwarted the Chiefs’ three-peat dreams.

"He then cashed in this offseason with the Cardinals. If history serves, Sweat should excel for a largely remade front seven -- he is reuniting with former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, under whom he had 18.5 sacks and a Pro Bowl appearance from 2021-22.

"NFL Pro Insight for Sweat: Josh Sweat led the Eagles with 8.0 sacks and was second on the team with 15 QB hits in 2024. Sweat is one of six edge rushers with four-plus sacks and 10-plus QB hits each of the last six seasons (Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt, Brian Burns, Montez Sweat)," Kownack wrote.

Sweat was the Cardinals' most lucrative, and most hyped offseason addition. While he may not be the same type of volume-producing star as a Myles Garrett or T.J. Watt, he's been a consistently solid pass rusher with an ability to wreck games at times.

Sweat had a case to be named Super Bowl MVP, and despite only picking up eight sacks in 2024, he did have his best career season alongside Jonathan Gannon in 2022.

Sweat won't be called on to be the lone savior of Arizona's struggling pass rush. He joins a long list of added defensive linemen and some promising young edge rushers.

The Cardinals don't need him to be one of the NFL's best players to survive, but it's nice to see a name in Cardinal red that goes beyond the usual franchise cornerstones.