Arizona Cardinals’ improved defense just lost one of its most important pieces. The team’s head coach Kliff Kingsbury confirmed on Wednesday that All-Pro linebacker Chandler Jones is set to undergo a biceps surgery that will rule him out for the season.
Jones got injured in Sunday’s win over the New York Jets.
While Jones wasn’t as productive as in some previous years, he was still a big factor for Arizona on the defensive side of the ball. Entering the game against the Jets, the 30-year-old had 10 tackles, 1.0 sacks, one fumble recovery, and seven QB hits.
“He’s a tremendous player, as we all know. Great person. A great leader on this team, so it’s not going to be easy,” said Kingsbury, adding that Jones will need three to four months to recover.
Arizona is expected to turn to former first-round pick Haason Reddick and 2018’s undrafted pickup Dennis Gardeck. The latter one is expected to receive a prominent role, especially since he had 2.0 sacks against the Jets while stepping in for Jones.
Chandler Jones has been with Cardinals since 2016, arriving in a trade from New England Patriots. Jones, who has one Super Bowl ring with Pats, has been a quarterbacks’ nightmare since then, totaling 60.0 sacks between 2016 and 2019. He also added 170 tackles and 17 forced fumbles in the same period.
Jones has three Pro Bowl nods and two First-Team All-Pro honors while being selected into NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
