Chandler Jones, EDGE
Career stats (103 games): 77 sacks, 94 TFLs
Let’s swing for the fences.
I have talked about this before, but the Arizona Cardinals really look like they are going to be bad this year. Kyler Murray is going to take a lot of hits, and that is just talking about poor OL play not even the designed hits he is going to take thanks to the college offense he will run.
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On defense, they were getting shredded by Mike Glennon and Nathan Peterman last week in the preseason. Outside of Jones and Patrick Peterson (who has publicly asked for a trade even if he walked that back), what talent is there on the Cardinals defense?
I am a big fan of both of those players, but it takes more than 2 players to make a defense work and even if they manage to add/develop 9 more competent defenders before the start of the next season (which would be a herculean feat) you are talking about two 30 year old defenders who are going to demand huge contracts.
For me, the answer would be to move one or both of those players this year and try to add draft picks and/or young players I like so that there is a better chance for success 3, 5, or 10 years down the line instead of trying to put all your chips into Kyler Murray being amazing in 2020.
Enter the Titans who happen to have a defense that really just needs another EDGE to develop or be brought in to really take that next step to being elite.
I said this a few weeks ago in my ideal trade targets argument on why Jones is a great fit for the Titans and why they would feel comfortable pushing for him:
"Why not maximize a player like that and get rid of a massive contract at the same time (even though you don’t have to free up money, it certainly would help when you are going after big free agents in 2020.). You know who would pull the trigger on giving up a high pick for someone like this? Jon Robinson. Do you know why? Because when Chandler Jones was drafted by the New England Patriots, Jason Licht and Jon Robinson were some of the biggest voices in the room. Robinson himself was the director of college scouting at that time and definitely would have had to “ok” spending a first on Jones who people thought was a reach at the time."
Robinson pulled the trigger on Jones once and he should do it again. The Cardinals have to know that they are in no position to keep him after this year and even if they did they are probably three years or more away from competing thanks to playing in a division against the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles McVays, whoops Rams.