TEMPE, Arizona. — Cardinals Edge Rusher Josh Sweet On Wednesday, he couldn't contain his disappointment at being named a Pro Bowl alternate this week.
The eight-year veteran said he was unfairly denied one of two ways to be individually recognized as a player, despite being the only NFC player with double-digit sacks not to receive a Pro Bowl invitation.
“I'm upset because there are only two separate things you can get: Pro Bowl and All-Pro,” Sweet said. “And they took one from me. I say directly that it was taken away from me – and this is not the first time.”
Sweat has already reached his career high of 11.0 sacks, and his 4.0 forced fumbles this season not only lead the NFL, but are also a career high. He also plays in a scheme under Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, who both coached the Sweat in 2021 and 2022 with the team Philadelphia Eagles – this allows him to move from side to side and play freely; whereas in Philadelphia, according to Sweet, it was limited to one side.
“It's like I don't know what else I could have done at that point,” said Sweet, who is in his first season with the Cardinals. “I don't know what else I could have done. In previous years, maybe you could say it didn't have popularity, maybe it didn't get votes from fans. I was second in fan voting for the NFC this year. Like, what else did they want from me? There was popularity. You could say it's a losing team. It didn’t matter, I was popular.”
Sweat was the NFC's second-most voted outside linebacker and fourth overall. Except New York Giants midfielder Brian Burns – who was second in outside linebacker votes received and second overall in sacks – there were two other NFC outside linebackers to make the Pro Bowl Los Angeles Rams: Byron Young And Jared Wehrs. Young was eighth overall and fourth in the NFC in voting and has the same number of sacks as Sweet. Wehrs finished 10th overall and fifth in the NFC in voting with 6.5 sacks.
“The fans said, 'He's got to be that guy, we want him to be.' My play showed that I should be in the game,” Sweet said. “But somewhere, some pop in the league said he shouldn't be in the lineup. I just want to know if I'm crazy. The only guy in the NFC with double-digit votes that couldn't make it. All they do is wave the player card in your face, like, 'Go vote. Look at the bags and make them fumble.' But you're on a hotter team, or your team is losing or something like that; I’m not really trying to hear any of that. I just want what I earned and worked for.”
Sweat said the Pro Bowl is waved in players' faces more often than All-Pros, making the Pro Bowl “a big deal.” He said not being selected for the Pro Bowl was “disappointing” and that he wanted to play football and be recognized for his work.
He added that this neglect makes him feel like his “efforts were in vain”, although he said this was not the case because he still wants to play football.
“It still means you're one of the best guys in the league, no matter how you got there,” Sweet said. “Initially, you were one of those photographs that needed to be seen, and I did not understand anything. That's why it's important. That's why it's important.”
Sweet, who was also named a Pro Bowl alternate in 2021 but was called up when Nick Bosa was injured, said he felt sorry for the fans who voted for him.
“In previous years, I was the first alternate almost every time and I didn’t have a fan vote,” Sweet said. “I got the fan vote this year, and all of a sudden you’re going to tell me that the players and coaches don’t respect me anymore? Dude, damn it. Dude, stop playing with me. But I mean, before I get fined and all this other crap, I need to relax.
