Chandler Jones

New England lands guard Jon Cooper, ships Chandler Jones to Arizona

The New England Patriots acquired guard Jonathan Cooper and the No. 61 overall pick of the draft from the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for defensive end Chandler Jones.

What It Means:

The No. 7 overall pick of the 2013 draft, Cooper's Cardinals' tenure never got going, due in large part to injury. He missed his entire rookie year with a broken leg before suffering a flew of minor ailments. He began 2015 as the Cardinals' starting right guard but was benched for Ted Larsen. Arizona was considering moving Cooper to center before dealing him. The Pats had one of the league's worst interior lines in 2015, so Cooper will be a candidate at all three spots. Cooper turned 26 in January. It's no guarantee he saves his career in New England.

Offensive line was New England's demise in their AFC title game loss to the Denver Broncos, although Denver's front seven wrecked a lot of offensive lines in 2015. The Patriots ended the season ranked third in Adjusted Offensive Net Expected Points per play. Don't gloss over the second-round selection New England picked up. Despite not having a first-round pick, the Patriots now own 11 picks, including back-to-back choices at Nos. 60 and 61.