The Chicago Bears are in the market for an edge-rusher in the wake of Dayo Odeyingbo's IR stint. Odeyingbo has been injury prone in his career, and it'd serve the Bears well to add a defensive end by the November 10 NFL trade deadline as insurance.

The front office's treasure chest of assets has been severely lessened by the acquisition of Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, however. Ryan Poles and Co. just parted with a 2027 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick, and a 2027 fourth-round pick, though they did get a 2028 fifth-round pick from the Titans in the Simmons deal.

Arizona Cardinals EDGE Josh Sweat's name was naturally coming up as an option due to his team's 2-5 start. Of course, Sweat's name also comes with no guarantees beyond this year and could necessitate an extension. Sweat signed a four-year deal in 2025 free agency with Arizona, but his financial security beyond this year would need to be approved by his next employer.

The Cardinals should have a more competitive offer elsewhere, from a team that's infinitely more desperate than Ben Johnson's through the first seven games of the season: the Dallas Cowboys.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler linked Chicago and the Cowboys to Sweat after this past week's Monday Night Football matchup, where Dallas snapped a two-game losing streak with a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys' next game is against Arizona, which gives Jerry Jones the chance to speak to the right people about a deal.

At 3-4, with losses to the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers and middling Baltimore Ravens, Dallas has a lot of ground to make up defensively with the deadline approaching. It's a tale as old as time, and one the Cowboys told last November before acquiring defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets.

After hiring first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker from the Eagles, Dallas's defense has been dominated in the secondary and up front. The Cowboys are giving up 168.4 rushing yards per game and a 120.5 passer rating from opposing quarterbacks.

Both numbers are league-worsts. The more things change, the more they stay the same in Jerry World.

Help is needed in a lot of places in Arlington. Dallas's edge woes have an obvious external answer in Sweat.

Bears Have More Pressing Trade Need Than Edge

Jones can overpay all he wants on Sweat from a Cardinals team that isn't in a fire sale, but is definitely a seller after shipping receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans.

There are other needs to address for Chicago, even after landing Simmons.

The linebacker spot could see a smaller splash to cover for T.J. Edwards' injury recovery as he gears up to return. Extra cornerback depth could be useful given Malik Muhammad and Tyrique Stevenson's recent injury woes.

Whatever direction the Bears go in, it's possible that EDGE isn't a position that the front office would drain resources for.

The Cowboys may be the ultimate winners of the Sweat sweepstakes because of that.

It's simply not worth Chicago's efforts to beat Jones at this game if he is hellbent on winning it. Especially after landing Simmons.