Bad news for the Arizona Cardinals, as first-round pick Jonathan Cooper could miss the entirety of his first year as a professional due to a broken leg suffered in Saturday night’s preseason game against the San Diego Chargers.
Jonathan Cooper injury: Cardinals guard potentially out for season with broken leg
With the return of Levi Brown at left tackle and Jonathan Cooper living up to his high draft stock at left guard, the Cardinals hoped for a revamped offensive line. Now, Cooper may be out for the season.
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Cooper’s injury looked bad from the outset, as he needed a cart to be taken off the field. But initial reports were of an ankle injury as another player rolled onto his leg, not a fractured limb.
There haven’t been many bright spots for the Cardinals in recent years, but Cooper was looking to be a nice pickup. Some graded Cooper as the best talent at any position in this year’s draft, but since interior lineman isn’t typically a highly valued position, the North Carolina product was available at No. 7 overall. He easily won the top spot at left guard, and alongside Levi Brown -- who missed the entirety of last season with a triceps injury, also suffered late in preseason play -- the Cardinals were hoping to revamp the left side of their offensive line and actually protect the quarterback.
With Cooper out, those hopes take a hit. Revenge of the Birds discusses who should fill in for the rookie, but no matter who it is, there will be a distinct dropoff.
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