New England Patriots Can Adequately Replace Chandler Jones
The New England Patriots trading star DE Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals may seem like an odd move, but the team came out ahead in the deal, and will adequately be able to replace him.
The New England Patriots sent defensive end Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday. While the Patriots got a nice haul in exchange for Jones (2013 seventh overall pick G Jonathan Cooper and a 2016 second-round pick), many fans may be confused by the move.
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I get it. Jones is an athletic pass rusher with obvious ability on the outside. He put up gaudy sack numbers last season, and improved drastically as a run defender. On the surface, an argument could be made that Jones was one of the Patriots’ best defenders in 2015, but there is more to the story.
Many will look at this move and see the Patriots as simply cutting bait with Jones before he reaches free agency next off season. While that certainly played a role in this deal, I personally believe that Jones’ sack total inflates his perception around the league, and the Patriots were clear winners in the deal.
He is a strong player who shows obvious athleticism and upside on the outside, but Jones disappeared for the Patriots far too often in the past four seasons. He showed up and made plays at times, but his ability to rush the passer was inconsistent. To back-up this notion, let’s take a look at Jones’ statistics from last season.
He started the 2015 season off strong, leading the league in sacks through the early portion of the campaign. However, Jones only totaled two sacks in the Patriots’ last six regular season games, and they both came in Week 15 against the Tennessee Titans.
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Despite his slow finish, Jones’ 12.5 sacks were still good for the fifth highest total in the NFL. Looking only at sacks, Jones was one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL last season. However, visually watching him on the field did not back this up. Jones was certainly able to step up and make big plays at times, but he never seemed to be able to get consistent pressure on the quarterback, and his lack of hurries backs this up.
Jones was credited with only 16 quarterback hurries in 2015 by SportingCharts.com. That total has him tied with eight other players for the 53rd highest total in the NFL. Simply put, when looking at the quarterback hurry data, Jones was an average pass rusher at best. Now, to be fair, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, but sacks should never be the only number considered.
In comparison, Patriots’ defensive end Jabaal Sheard finished with 24 quarterback hurries in 2015, trailing Defensive Player of the Year and sack leader J.J. Watt by only two and Super Bowl MVP Von Miller by one. Heck, even Rob Ninkovich finished with more hurries than Jones (17), and he was only an occasional pass rusher for the Patriots.
Sheard burst onto the scene with the Patriots in 2015, and he is going to be a major key for the team as they look to replace Jones. Sheard is a more explosive pass rusher who has the versatility to rush from the outside and interior effectively. Sheard has a lethal combination of quickness and power that makes him an incredibly difficult player to rush.
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The Patriots are going to count on Sheard to be their number one pass rusher next season, and Ninkovich will likely fall back into his more productive role of past years. The team will also be able to lean on second-year players Geneo Grissom and Trey Flowers, both who looked promising in limited time last season.
Also, if Dominique Easley can stay healthy, his presence as an interior rusher will be a huge boost for the team. Sheard is the key to the whole operation, but the Patriots have the horses to replace Jones on their defensive line. I would not be surprised to see the team bring in a veteran defensive end, but only as more of a security thing.
Jones is an exciting outside rusher who can get the job done, but his impact on the Patriots’ defense was overrated. They will still be able to put together a strong pass rush, while excelling in other defensive areas as well.
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Perhaps the Patriots will use the extra cap space or second round pick received in the Jones trade to improve their defense? If that is the case, I can easily see this becoming a positive move immediately, because replacing Jones will not be an issue.