Josh Sweat’s injury problems and envy of past Super Bowl teammates fuel the Eagles defensive end’s drive

PHOENIX — As defensive end Josh Sweat lay injured on the field just six minutes into the Eagles’ second-to-last game of the season against the New Orleans Saints after tackling fullback Adam Prentice, an all-too-familiar thought crept into his mind — I might have to be out.

Sweat instantly worried that his impending playoff participation was in jeopardy once again. Last season, just five days before the Eagles’ NFC wild-card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sweat underwent an emergency procedure to address what the team called a “life-threatening situation” that caused him to miss the postseason.

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“To work this whole season with them and then just not be able to be out there,” Sweat said. “This year, if I had to miss [the playoffs] this year, I don’t know what I would have done.”

But Sweat regained movement on the field before he was carted off, giving him the confidence that his absence would be short-term. The 25-year-old Sweat returned to practice just 11 days after suffering a neck injury and saw his first game action in the divisional round against the New York Giants on Jan. 21.

Immediately, Sweat made his presence felt, racking up 1½ sacks and recovering a fumble in the Eagles’ 38-7 takedown of their divisional foe. Now, Sweat is eager to continue to make a difference at the line of scrimmage as the Eagles eye a Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

“Once I came back, I just wanted to contribute any way I could,” Sweat said. “In the playoffs, I didn’t care if it was a tackle or anything. All the players are big. So I just wanted to come back and make an immediate impact.”

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In defensive tackle Fletcher Cox’s eyes, Sweat has emerged as one of the league’s “premier edge rushers” this season. When Cox goes back and watches film after the game, he notices No. 94 disrupting the pocket and wreaking havoc in the backfield.

The stats back up Cox’s observations of Sweat, too. This season, his fifth in the NFL, Sweat posted career-bests in sacks (11), tackles (48), tackles for losses (15), and quarterback hits (23). Before his injury, Sweat was on a consecutive-game sack streak, notching 7½ in five games. He also earned his first career pick six on a 42-yard return against the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 24.

“It’s one of those things when you just get that first one and they just keep on coming,” Sweat said. “I don’t know what it was, but I just felt like at a certain point, I just couldn’t stay off the quarterback.”

Not only did Sweat have the best season of his career, but also he did it coming off his season-ending surgery, which he underwent on Jan. 11, 2022. He revealed in May that prior to the procedure, he felt light-headed and had abdominal pain while he was seated on his couch at home. He added that he had “a lot of internal bleeding.”

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Sweat progressed far enough in his recovery to participate in his first Pro Bowl in February 2022, a hard-earned distinction after racking up 45 tackles and 7½ sacks in 16 games. But Sweat said that he didn’t feel normal until halfway through training camp.

“It’s hard to make improvements in the offseason when you’re just trying to get healthy for the most part,” Sweat said. “But the fact that I came back and had a much better season, in my opinion, it means everything.”

When Sweat arrived in Philadelphia as a member of the 2018 draft class, he experienced the afterglow of the Super Bowl LII victory over the New England Patriots. Sweat relished joining an upbeat, slightly-less-intimidating locker room as a rookie, but still, he felt left out.

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The Super Bowl rings that shimmered on his newfound teammates’ fingers fueled a desire within Sweat to earn one, too.

“A lot of people [in Philadelphia] were telling me, ‘Congratulations’ and stuff,” Sweat said. “I’m like, ‘Shoot, I wasn’t even here. But thank you.’ I definitely felt left out. But it just made me want to work towards my own.”

Finally, Sweat is one win away from a ring, eager to feel the jubilation his veteran teammates experienced just five years ago. He’s well aware of the looming test that the Chiefs’ offensive line presents, allowing just 26 sacks (third lowest in the league) this season.

“We know they’re good,” Sweat said. “We’re good, too. We’ve been getting to the quarterback, they’ve been keeping them off the quarterback. It’s a challenge. We like it.”

But regardless of the game’s outcome, after an injury and a health scare over the last year, Sweat is grateful to be where he belongs on the Eagles’ defensive front.

“To be a part of what our D-line has accomplished,” Sweat said. “I mean, the defense as a whole, but my pride lies with the D-line, for sure. But just to be a part of that, it means everything.”