Arizona Cardinals: Chandler Jones has been a steal
The Arizona Cardinals appear to have gotten even more than they might have anticipated from edge defender Chandler Jones, acquired from New England…
The great Bill Belichick never pulls the wrong string in the front office, does he?
Not so fast…
The Arizona Cardinals may be a disappointment at this point with a 3-3-1 record, but Chandler Jones has been nothing short of phenomenal. He’s Pro Football Focus’ highest graded edge defender in the NFL through seven games, and is causing all kinds of problems for opposing offenses.
To revisit the trade a bit, Jones was acquired from the Patriots for a second round pick and offensive lineman Jonathan Cooper, who has since been released by New England.
Yikes.
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The Patriots knew they probably weren’t going to be able to re-sign Jones at the end of the 2016 season, but they gave up plenty of production on the edge defensively for at least another year and only had that second round pick to show for it.
Bill Belichick has done a phenomenal job of finding players that fit his philosophies over the years, and I won’t discredit that, but this was a stupid trade for him to make. Chandler Jones is a budding star, and pass rushers like this don’t just grow on trees in the NFL.
The thing about Jones, though, is that he’s not just a great pass rusher. Jones’ efficiency and effectiveness against the run is very underrated. According to a recent article on ESPN, when Jones is in the lineup, the Cardinals are allowing just 3.8 yards per rush to opposing teams. When he’s not in the game, that number climbs up to 5.0 yards per carry.
With his effectiveness against both the run and the pass (five sacks, two forced fumbles so far in seven games), Jones is in line for a contract extension from the Cardinals, who also have some big financial decisions to make this year.
There’s no question that Jones has had a major impact on their defense, and should be considered a cornerstone piece of it moving forward. He’s an elite edge player in this league, and is proving that again this year after a phenomenal 2015 campaign.
Chalk this one up as a major win for Cardinals general manager Steve Keim.