One of the top defensive ends set to enter 2025 NFL free agency has made a key change that could interest the New England Patriots, after Philadelphia Eagles edge-rusher Josh Sweat switched agents.
Sweat, who is set to compete against the Kansas City Chiefs in this season’s Super Bowl, made the change on Monday, February 3, six days before the big game, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He revealed “Sweat changed agents today and hired Drew Rosenhaus and Ryan Matha. ‘He clearly is one of the very top free agents,’ Rosenhaus said.”
Appointing new representation is a sign Sweat’s prepared to listen to offers in the next month. That’s good news for the Patriots, who “could be on the radar” for the 28-year-old who’s enjoyed a banner campaign, according to Schefter’s colleague Jeremy Fowler.
He believes “Sweat will enter free agency with the flexibility to play in a 3-4 or 4-3 defense. He has ties to Arizona, where his former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is running the show. Washington, New England, Tampa Bay and Tennessee could be on the radar, too.”
Sweat’s ability to get to the passer makes him a natural fit for the way the Patriots are changing their defense up front under new head coach Mike Vrabel and first-year coordinator Terrell Williams.
Josh Sweat Fits Patriots Scheme Shift
Being credited with the ability to play in three- and four-man fronts makes it sound as though Sweat is more suited to the defenses the Patriots operated under Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo. Both Belichick and Vrabel’s predecessor used hybrid-front schemes defined by big-bodied and versatile edge players.
Sweat played a similar role in Vic Fangio’s Eagles defense that also has its roots in 3-4 fronts, but Vrabel and Williams are expected to “predominantly” use “four-down defensive linemen (4-2-5 nickel),” based on what they did with the Tennessee Titans, according to Patriots.com Staff Writer Evan Lazar.
Yet, the shift doesn’t rule out the Patriots trying to beat the competition to sign Sweat. Not when Lazar also described how “the other constant for the Titans was playing with wide hand-in-the-dirt defensive ends, either in a nine or seven technique.”
Taking a wide alignment before the snap suits Sweat’s game as what ESPN’s Matt Bowen calls “a long, angular mover who can win with speed-to-power, and he has built-in counters to disengage from offensive tackles.”
A good example of Sweat’s talent for winning off the edge and adjusting his rush to get to a quarterback came against Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in last season’s playoffs. The sack, highlighted by Caleb James of SB Nation’s Arrowhead Pride, came after Sweat aligned over the tight end in the slot, rushed wide, then slanted back inside to get to Mayfield.
Sweat has the core attributes to elevate a pedestrian Patriots pass rush that felt the collars of opposing passers just 28 times this season. That improvement is worth paying a market value projected by Spotrac.com to be $18.8 million annually for three years.
There are cheaper alternatives, but the Patriots will need to pay a premium to successfully change their defense.
Patriots Need New Faces on the Edges
Aside from Keion White, the Patriots don’t have natural pass-rushers on the edge. Their defense hasn’t been constructed to feature them.
Instead, bulky edge-setters like Anfernee Jennings have won starting roles. Jennings is an asset against the run, but he’s more outside linebacker in space than defensive end treading a direct path to the quarterback.
A shift toward more active, downhill defensive linemen will cost free-agency dollars and perhaps premium capital in the 2025 NFL draft. Owning the fourth-overall pick puts the Pats in range of Penn State edge-rusher Abdul Carter, while $124,055,793 worth of space under the salary cap leaves room for Sweat or another prized free agent like Khalil Mack or Chase Young.
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