During a roller-coaster offseason filled with questions about his future and swirling trade speculation Josh Sweat decided to change his jersey number from 94 to 19.
But it wasn’t all that deep.
“Shoot, I just needed a change, man,” Sweat said. “Just like when I cut my hair. I just wanted something new.”
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Sweat said he didn’t have a problem with the No. 94 he wore the last five years in the NFL but he feels fresh in 19. He had some other choices first but 15 is retired and 9 (the number he wore in high school and college) is quasi-retired — so he ended up with 19.
Sweat might have a new number this year. But his mindset hasn’t changed.
Not even after he agreed to a restructured deal this offseason, one that will leave him as a free agent at the end of 2024.
“I let my agent handle that with those guys. I just want to play,” Sweat said. “I didn’t even really think about it in the offseason. I just approached it in the offseason just to get better. I really didn’t think about it. Let’s get it right so I can come back and play and focus on what I need to focus on.”
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Before the restructured contract, the Eagles made it clear that both Sweat and Haason Reddick were available on the trade market after a season that ended in bitter disappointment.
Eventually, Sweat’s deal was restructured and Reddick was the one shipped to the Jets.
But even as all that was going on, Sweat just tried to focus on his offseason program.
“Like I said, I didn’t even think about it,” he said. “Because I can’t control that. Trade or not. I just went to work how I know. I didn’t think about it at all.”
As he enters Year 7 in the NFL, Sweat has been a Pro Bowler, he’s been a double-digit sack guy and he’s accomplished a lot in his career. But last season didn’t end on a good note.
Through nine games last season, Sweat was second on the Eagles roster with 6 1/2 sacks for the one-loss team. But then the wheels came off for the defense and for Sweat. It seems like just about everyone struggled in the second half of 2023, but Sweat played his final eight games of the season without a single sack.
Here’s a look at Sweat’s production last season:
First nine games: 6 1/2 sacks, 6 TFLs, 16 QB hits, 2 FF
Last eight games: 0 sacks, 1 TFL, 7 QB hits, 0 FF
Sweat is now entering a contract year with a lot to prove but he insisted on Monday that his next deal isn’t his primary motivation. He also said he won’t be sack-hunting like some edge rushers might in a contract year.
“I’m just trying to play, dawg,” Sweat said. “There will be plenty of opportunities to get sacks. We know situations. I’ve been doing this long enough. I know when it’s time to really go after it. There’s plenty of chances to go get sacks.”
Sweat said he already feels comfortable in Vic Fangio’s defense because it’s not all that different structurally from what he was asked to do under Jonathan Gannon and Sean Desai. He seems to like Fangio’s no-nonsense approach to coaching and appreciated Fangio’s compliment about his movement skills.
Even after everything that happened over the last few months and the way the 2023 season ended, the Eagles are still really relying on Sweat in 2024. He’s a starter on the edge and there are plenty of questions marks with the other top guys at the position like Bryce Huff and Nolan Smith.
If Sweat can return to form this season, it would be huge for the Eagles. And it would probably earn him a big contract — either here or somewhere else.
But money aside, Sweat feels like he has something to prove.
“Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “No matter how well I do or not, I always feel like I’m never there. To answer your question, yeah, I do.”
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