While the Cleveland Browns’ offense and quarterback Deshaun Watson are getting much-deserved credit for their five game-winning fourth-quarter drives, it is important to remember that without their defense, most of those victories would not have been possible.
The unit has shown marked improvement under coordinator Mike Rutenberg since being embarrassed by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the season opener. Yet the Browns have still not been able to generate much of a pass rush with Myles Garrett now on the Los Angeles Rams.
That is why the Browns are being linked to Pro Bowl edge rusher Josh Sweat of the Arizona Cardinals ahead of the upcoming NFL trade deadline.
“The 29-year-old edge rusher is just one year removed from a 12-sack campaign with the Cardinals. He has two for the season thus far and would ostensibly increase that total on a defensive line that has been as disruptive as the Browns have been. Sweat is the exact stylistic fit the Browns need to bookend with Verse. He’s a faster pass rusher who can still bend as he plays out his age-29 season,” Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report wrote.
Jared Verse was expected to replace some of Garrett’s production after coming over in the June trade with the Rams. But he does not have a sack heading into Cleveland’s Week 8 meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Defensive tackles Mason Graham and Maliek Collins lead the Browns with 4.0 and 3.5 sacks, respectively. Isaiah McGuire is the top defensive end with 3.0, followed by Adin Hutchinson, who has 2.5.
That is why the Browns could be interested in Sweat, who could be made available with the Cardinals almost already out of playoff contention in the NFC. He is under contract through the 2028 season, but there is no guaranteed money due to him over the next two years.
A fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Sweat played his first seven years for the Philadelphia Eagles, winning the Super Bowl in the 2024 campaign. This season, he has 16 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits.
The Browns have also been linked to veteran edge rusher Khalil Mack, who is in a similar non-competitive situation with the Los Angeles Chargers. Mack is much older at 35 and is a pending free agent, so he may be a less expensive alternative than Sweat would be,
Fans can expect Cleveland to be mentioned in several possible deals before the deadline arrives after the games of Week 9.
NEXT: Denzel Boston Predicted To Have Big Game Against Steelers
