The piercings have meaning for Josh Sweat, even if they don't.
When his helmet is off, you can't miss the cheek piercing under his left eye or the industrial bar in his right ear, among other facial adornments. His collection has grown each year.
"I just woke up one morning and thought, 'Let me try something,'" Sweat said. "I don't know if I was sleeping on it or it just popped in. Just to feel a little different."
Sweat was always going to feel different in Arizona, after signing a four-year contract worth more than $40 million guaranteed back in March. That was with a new coaching staff that let him "shed the handcuffs" of how he had been playing in Philadelphia, and the need for the Cardinals to make him their top pass rusher.
But the long-time introvert has felt different personally too, willing to show a little more of himself and his personality – including some extra piercings.
"I've been getting out of my shell a little more," Sweat said. "Now I'm good. I don't care about nothing no more."
Sweat breaks into a laugh as he says it. It's "natural" to grow in such a way. Comfort with the Cardinals helps.
Sweat's two sacks last week against the Buccaneers gives him 11 this season, tying his career-best in a season with still five games to go. He threatens the 14½ sacks Bertrand Berry delivered to the Cardinals as their big free-agent signing of 2004.
Arriving as a major free agent carries with it a balance, defensive lineman Calais Campbell said. He was once that guy, leaving the Cardinals in 2017 for a major deal in Jacksonville. Multiple teams fight over you, Campbell said, and that builds confidence.
But then you have to pay it off on the field.
"When much is given, much is required," Campbell said. "If they are paying you a bunch of money, they expect you to make a bunch of plays. For Josh, he has made big plays all through his career, but you have not seen any dropoff. He already has his career high in sacks with five games to go, he's made a lot of big-time plays at big moments, forced fumbles, he's given us a chance. He's probably a little bit underpaid for the way he's been playing this year, honestly."
Campbell had four sacks in his first game with the Jaguars, and ended up with 14½ sacks that season. Sweat had a target number of sacks in mind before the year – he wasn't getting into details – but he also said safety Budda Baker told him before he had even officially signed his contract saying Sweat would reach 18 this season.
"Dude, go crazy," Sweat recalled with a grin.
But Campbell's mindset resonates with Sweat too. His exit from the Eagles wasn't his favorite – "I never thought I'd be in a position where I'd have to leave" – but his motivation flipped.
"More than proving my last team wrong, I wanted to make the guys here right," Sweat said. "I believe in myself to the maximum, and that's where the nervousness before every game comes from. Making sure my preparation translates to the game, and ultimately to make sure they say, 'We didn't make the wrong decision.'"
The Cardinals have fulfilled Sweat's hope of moving him around on defense, not letting opposing offenses have an easy plan for him. Defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said that can only help the Cardinals, and besides, Rallis said, he loves to have versatile pieces with which to work.
His snap count has shrunk from his time in Philadelphia, but it is by design for a defense that likes to rotate its front seven and allow a guy like Sweat to always go full bore.
"The production helps the defense out," Rallis said. "That should be a cover guy's best friend."
Sweat, who is pushing for his first Pro Bowl nod not as a replacement, acknowledged he just wants to affect the QB. He learned long ago that just worrying about sack totals was a mistake. He noted making a tackle in space at Tampa after dropping into coverage once – "That little dude tried to shake me" – and was proud of the play.
He just wanted to show the Cardinals who he was.
"Just want to move around and stay fresh," Sweat said. "That's all I really want."
