I sure stirred up the hornet’s nest by giving the Josh Sweat signing a ‘D’ grade on Monday.

Fans are miffed, and local radio personality Dan Bickley has accused me of being biased against the Cardinals.

Did I see this coming when I put out the grade? Well, I knew the reaction wouldn’t be positive, but I also didn’t expect it to reach this fevered pitch.

So let’s dive deeper into both subjects, starting with a more thorough explanation for the grade.

On the Josh Sweat ‘D’ Grade

Every free agency, loads of journalists grade the signings, and they tend to dole out As and Bs like they are handing out Halloween candy.

I don’t think this is right.

Historically, many free agent moves fail, and if we mark every move as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ it’s doing a disservice to the reader, because it’s not reality.

So I entered free agency prepared to grade on merit.

Baron Browning re-signed right before free agency, and I loved that move. Gave it an ‘A’. I’ve been consistently complimentary about the Browning acquisition.

Evan Brown came next, and at $5.5 million a year for a starting guard, felt like that was good value. Gave it a ‘B’ because the downside was that the Cardinals were now more limited in grabbing two top-tier guards and revamping the offensive line.

As I wrote those up, the Milton Williams saga was unfolding. For days leading up to free agency, I made it clear: Milton Williams or Trey Hendrickson were my top two choices.

I felt like those two were elite talents that would raise the ceiling of the defense.

The Cardinals have been rebuilding for two years, and I will consider this season a failure if they are not in true contention in the NFC. You can’t take three years to rebuild in the NFL because if you do build a strong core, it means big-money extensions are coming and it will already be time to make tough decisions (take a look at the 49ers as the latest example).

So if Williams ended up signing in Arizona, even at $26 million per year, I would have given it a ‘B.’

An overpay? Sure. But roster spots are limited, the timeline is right, and grabbing a dominant defensive tackle after hoarding cap space for two years would have been completely fine.

Once that didn’t happen, I thought the Cardinals should pivot to Hendrickson. Since his salary is only $16 million this season, a hypothetical two-year, $35 million-per-year extension would have turned it into an average annual value of $28.7 million over the next three years.

Hendrickson is 30, and it likely would have cost a second-round pick going to the Bengals, but in totality, I liked the idea of adding an elite talent to the defense.

Before the Sweat signing, I made it clear that I did not consider him to be the same tier of player as those two.

While Sweat and Williams were projected to make close to the same amount of money in free agency, Williams’ market went crazy, while no other team was assumedly willing to give Sweat more than $19 million per year, even though he plays the most premium position on the defense.

So I think that confirmed my feelings about the disparity in the players.

The Cardinals, of course, signed Sweat on Monday afternoon. The contract itself isn’t the huge issue. It’s the opportunity cost of not finding a game-wrecker on the defensive line.

Williams signed with the Patriots, while adding Sweat took the Cardinals out of the Hendrickson sweepstakes. If Arizona somehow adds a potential All-Pro to the defensive line this offseason, I will change my tune, but I think Sweat is going to be the best player on that front in 2025.

To me, that’s not the type of personnel that is going to help you win a Super Bowl.

So in totality, I thought it was a below average move and wrote as such. Maybe Sweat goes off for 14 sacks next year and I’ll look like a fool, but I do not see the elite pass-rushing tools of a Chandler Jones, a Trey Hendrickson in his arsenal.

This, to me, felt like signing a Markus Golden-type. A good pass-rusher, but not the guy you want as the top option on the defensive line.

On The Accusations of Bias

The accusation of bias from radio personality Dan Bickley is a bit surprising.

I get the fans’ perspective on this, but journalists – Bickley included – have consistently sent me messages praising my willingness to be a straight shooter.

I worked for the Cardinals for nearly eight years, and had to write positively, so all these years later, I think people are still trying to marry the two versions of me, and that’s understandable.

But before that, I worked for a newspaper, and my criticism of coaches or athletic directors led to confrontations all the time. Pat Murphy banned me from Arizona State baseball practice for a stretch. Steve Belles banned me from Hamilton High School football.

It’s who I am as a journalist. I do not subscribe to groupthink and have conviction in my analysis, whether it’s going to be received well or not.

People like Bickley and John Gambadoro have every right to criticize me, by the way. I try to be open and honest with my opinions, but if they think I’m showing bias or otherwise doing a poor job, I have zero issue getting blasted on the radio.

In the end, the readers and the listeners can form their own opinion on my bias.

Why am I often critical? Well, the Cardinals have gone 16-35 the past three years, have one playoff appearance since 2015 and have never won a Super Bowl, so I think it’s appropriate.

And this isn’t to say I’m going to be right on the Sweat signing. I’ve been wrong on plenty of things.

I didn’t like the James Conner signing and he’s been one of the best running backs in the NFL. I thought Budda Baker might start falling off and he continues to play at a Pro Bowl level.

I’ve also had my hits. I projected the Cardinals to win four games in 2023, and they won four. I projected them to win eight in 2024, and they won eight.

When everyone in the fanbase thought 2022 would be a playoff team, I projected the team to win seven games. Fans hated it, called me disgruntled and biased – and then they won four.

Look, I like the trajectory of the Cardinals and have written that several times over the past year. Monti Ossenfort and Jonathan Gannon have done a nice job.

But I also think this is the time to be aggressive, and when I don’t agree with a move, I’m going to say it.

Here’s the thing about the ‘D’ grade: I talked about my dislike for Sweat as the major free agent signing multiple times before it happened.

What am I supposed to do, change my tune because the local football team decided to sign him?

If I’m biased against the Cardinals, it also means I’m psychic.

I don’t think either are true.