Cardinals HC shares big update on Josh Sweat's availability

Arizona Cardinals star DL Josh Sweat has been tangled up in trade rumors for the past couple of weeks.

He chose to skip OTAs, and with a new regime in town and a long season ahead of them, he looked like a prime trade candidate. Sweat showed up to mandatory minicamp but didn't participate in any team drills, fueling even more speculation about his future.

That's why head coach Mike LaFleur had to shut down all speculation and concerns about his availability or status, stating that he didn't practice because he hadn't participated in any of the previous phases of offseason workouts. 

The Cardinals aren't worried about Josh Sweat

“The situation is, again, he hasn’t practiced,” LaFleur told the media (h/t Josh Weinfuss of ESPN). “I’m not going to put a guy out on the field that hasn’t been out there to prep.”

The first-year head coach assured that Sweat had been working out on his own and that he would be a full go for training camp, so there wasn't that much to read into this situation.

“Josh has always had his own program, and he’s not the first guy on any team I’ve been a part of that’s been a part of that,” LaFleur added. “The one thing that you know about Josh is when he’s not in this building, he’s working and I think that shows when he gets out there on the field.”

The Cardinals are projected to be one of the worst teams in the league this season. They're a young squad and might be looking to land the No. 1 pick in 2027. As such, it would make sense to part ways with one of their veteran stars.

Sweat is a proven headhunter who would probably fetch a decent return in the trade market, so even if he's not up for grabs right now, he'll likely be sought after as the trade deadline approaches.