Cardinals Earn Perfect Grade for Free Agent Signing

The Arizona Cardinals made plenty of noise in free agency with the signing of Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Josh Sweat.

Sweat was inked to a four-year, $76 million contract to become the number one pass rusher in the desert.

Sweat was a popular name tied to the Cardinals all offseason thanks to Arizona's desperate need for a legitimate outside linebacker on top of Sweat's prior experience with head coach Jonathan Gannon, who spent time in Philadelphia with Sweat.

The move was heralded at the time as a plus signing for the Cardinals, and nearly a month later, that still holds true.

The 33rd Team's Marcus Mosher gave the Sweat signing an "A+" grade with the following explanation:

"No team in the NFL had a worse pass rush on a week-by-week basis than the Arizona Cardinals. In fact, if you asked even the most die-hard NFL fans, they probably couldn’t name a single pass rusher for the Cardinals last season. Arizona knew they had a massive need on the edge and signed the top rusher on the market right away," wrote Mosher.

"Sweat has been incredibly durable for the Eagles, playing in at least 16 games in each of the last four seasons. During that time, he racked up 33 sacks to go along with 78 QB hits. While he isn’t in the elite pass-rushing tier, he is a much-needed addition for the Cardinals as they look to rebuild their defense.

"Arizona paid a lot to get Sweat, but its defense is much better now that he is on the roster. The Cardinals' front office did a good job locking down one of the best available players on the market."

Arizona did well to snag Sweat for under $20 million per season annually while also making a big splash in the free agent market, something the Cardinals hadn't done previously under general manager Monti Ossenfort.