Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur said he is “not worried about” Josh Sweat after the edge rusher attended mandatory minicamp but did not participate. LaFleur pointed to the offseason program’s phases, while Sweat missed all of the voluntary offseason program and i
The Cardinals’ mandatory minicamp started with a familiar absence in the pass rush group: Josh Sweat was on site, but he wasn’t practicing.
Coach Mike LaFleur was asked about Sweat’s on-field status, and his message was blunt. “The situation is, again, he hasn’t practiced,” LaFleur said. “I’m not going to put a guy out on the field that hasn’t been out there to prep. That’s what Phase One and Phase Two [of the offseason program] are for. to get guys ready for Phase Three.”.
LaFleur added that Sweat’s approach hasn’t been new. “Josh has always done this. 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. In San Francisco, L.A., we’ve always had guys that were kind of like that, and that’s OK. 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.”.
It comes after Sweat missed all of the voluntary offseason program, choosing to work out on his own.
On the field last season, Sweat produced numbers the Cardinals clearly value. He led the team with a career-high 12 sacks. and he did it after signing a four-year. $76.4 million deal with the Cardinals. The agreement was also a homecoming of sorts. reuniting him with coach Jonathan Gannon. who was Sweat’s defensive coordinator in Philadelphia for two seasons.
The tension around Sweat isn’t only about participation schedules. The Cardinals have reportedly received trade calls regarding him, though a recent report indicated the team does not intend to trade him.
For now, LaFleur’s stance is that Sweat’s routine fits the offseason structure—Phase One and Phase Two to prepare, Phase Three to put it on display—while the pass rusher keeps focusing his work away from the building until the time comes to step onto the practice field.
Josh Sweat Mike LaFleur Arizona Cardinals mandatory minicamp offseason program Phase One Phase Two Phase Three trade calls