In the immediate aftermath of a blockbuster trade like the one that suddenly and unexpectedly rocked the NFL world on Tuesday - you know the one, the one that saw Chandler Jones shipped to the Arizona Cardinals by the New England Patriots in exchange for Jonathan Cooper and a second-round draft pick - it's easy to say "this makes this team a contender," or "this team will never overcome the loss of this player," or "Bill Belichick is an evil genius and he's again fooled us all by moving a talented, if underachieving piece for draft considerations that will again become an important impact player for the Patriots that Belichick will again flip in exchange for draft considerations in four years - if need-be."
For the Cardinals and GM Steve Keim and head coach Bruce Arians, it's clear that they targeted a perceived weakness in their stout defensive front and did what they had to address it in a manner that would upgrade the position both immediately and, if all goes as planned, for the long-term.
So, yeah, the addition of Jones to a Cardinals front seven that already boasts the likes of Calais Campbell, Corey Peters and a guy in Markus Golden who seems to still just be scratching the surface of his full potential, will probably be a difference-making one.
Through four seasons in Foxborough, Jones amassed a pretty impressive career stat line. Jones heads west with 211 tackles, 36 sacks and 10 forced fumbles to his name. That's quality production for any player, let alone one who played with his hand in the dirt on a team that boasts playmakers like Dont'a Hightower, Jamie Collins, the recently-retired Jerrod Mayo and last year's free agent pickup, Jabaal Sheard.
Jones also collected those states despite missing two games his rookie year, six games in 2014 and one game last year.
Jones though, despite his talent, is not a player without his flaws, of course. He's a talented pass rusher who struggles to hold up against the run and, at times, disappears from the action.
But in a Cardinals defense starved for sacks - they finished the 2015 NFL regular season with 36 sacks, the lowest total of any of the league's playoff teams - but full of playmakers at linebacker and in the secondary, Jones really could be and probably should be an impact addition.
Will it be enough to keep the Cardinals at the head of the NFC West class, though?
At this point, it's tough (see what I did there?) to say.
The NFC West is a brutal division full of power football teams like the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. The Cardinals lucked out a bit that Marshawn Lynch decided to take his "Beast Mode" act elsewhere, so they won't have to watch Lynch run roughshod over Jones or the rest of ther defense next year. But Thomas Rawls looked like a plenty capable replacement before breaking his leg last year - Rawls collected 391 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground during a three-game stint in late November, early December - and Pete Carroll is committed to running the ball, so keeping Seattle off the NFC West throne, especially from a defensive standpoint, won't be easy.
And with the Rams still seeking an answer at quarterback, explosive second-year back Todd Gurley will continue to be the focal point of Jeff Fisher's offense. It's not hard to envision Jones meeting Gurley - 1,100 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns - in the hole and losing that battle time and again.
Even the Niners, with all their issues and the changeover that will come with Chip Kelly's installation as top boss, will be a run-first team. Assuming Carlos Hyde can remain healthy - and even if he can't - Kelly's going to test the interior of the NFC West's defenses. Shaun Draughn was a surprisingly effective player for the Niners last season too and if guys like Jarryd Hayne or Mike Davis can develop further, it's likely Kelly will try to protect his quarterback, whether it be Blaine Gabbert, Colin Kaepernick or a draft pick, with the run game.
Really, the Cardinals didn't acquire Jones because of his ability to stop the run, they added him because he possesses a skillset they were lacking - an ability to get to the quarterback consistently.
But playing in a division like the NFC West, Jones' addition, shrewd though it was, doesn't move the needle as much as it would were the Cardinals part of say, the AFC South, where Andrew Luck, Marcus Mariota and Brock Osweiler don't look like they'll have the same kind of running game to protect them.
The Cardinals are likely to again be the class of the division for a bevy of reasons like their deep secondary and explosive offense, it just won't be directly attributable to Jones' addition.
