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The San Francisco 49ers have question marks over their pass rush heading into the 2026 NFL season. Last campaign, the Niners recorded 20 sacks as a team, so they will be looking to improve on that production.

San Francisco will have Nick Bosa back, and Mykel Williams should be returning at some point during the season. Moreover, the 49ers also drafted Romello Height to contribute to the team’s pass rush.

Nonetheless, could the 49ers explore the trade market and capitalize on a player’s unhappiness before the 2026 season? One potential name in the speculation is the Arizona Cardinals’ Josh Sweat, who showed up to the team’s mandatory minicamp but didn’t participate.

However, Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report has Sweat going to another NFC team, the Chicago Bears. As part of his trade pitch, Davenport has the Bears getting Sweat while the Cardinals receive a conditional 2027 Round 3 pick and a 2028 Round 3 pick.

“Sweat had 12 sacks last season, and he’s under contract through 2028 at a reasonable amount,” Davenport wrote in a June 12 article. “But the harsh reality is that Arizona may well be the NFL’s worst team in 2026—the Redbirds aren’t going to be contenders for a while.

“The Bears, meanwhile, are the defending NFC North champions and a team that badly needs to upgrade the pass rush after logging just 35 sacks last season. Pairing Josh Sweat and Montez Sweat would accomplish that goal—and almost guarantee that multiple broadcasters mistakenly call them brothers or cousins, even though they are not related.”

49ers Urged to Make Move for Josh Sweat to Bolster Pass Rush

Where does the 49ers speculation come from? On the June 2 edition of “49ers Collective,” 49ers on SI reporter Grant Cohn floated that the team should consider trading for Sweat as a cheaper alternative to Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby.

“What I would like to do, if they cannot get Maxx Crosby, if that is too expensive, and if the Raiders do not want to trade him, what about Josh Sweat? He is clearly available,” Cohn said. “I do not think it would take a first-round pick.

“I do not think you would have to trade a player to get him. He plays that outside linebacker, on-ball position that Romello Height and Luke Gifford play. I mean, he would be better than them.”

Cardinals HC Not Worried About Josh Sweat

Despite the speculation surrounding Sweat, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur downplayed Sweat’s on-field absence and said he is not worried about the veteran edge rusher.

“The situation is, again, he hasn’t practiced,” LaFleur told reporters on June 9. “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. 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.”

Last season with the Cardinals, Sweat played 540 total snaps, leading to a 74.2 overall PFF defensive grade. Moreover, he generated 47 total pressures, 12 sacks, 29 hurries, 6 QB hits, and three forced fumbles. Meanwhile, against the run, he recorded 11 solo tackles.