One of the big draws of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Tom Brady was the prospect of throwing to Pro Bowl wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. And, if Brady can work his usual Brady magic, perhaps he can even revive the career of tight end O.J. Howard.
None of that will matter, though, if the Bucs can’t keep Brady upright. Last year, former Bucs QB Jameis Winston was sacked 47 times, while Brady was only taken down 27 times with the Patriots. The Bucs will have a chance to fix the right side of their offensive line when the NFL draft rolls around next week, and the consensus among draft experts is that offensive tackle will be the position of choice for the Bucs when they select at 14.
But this wouldn’t be the first Bruce Arians has given Tom Brady an offensive lineman. Back in the 2016 offseason, when Arians was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, he shipped guard and former first round pick Jonathan Cooper (No. 7 overall in the 2013 draft) to the Patriots along with a second-round pick in exchange for defensive end Chandler Jones. The Pats needed O-line help then and weren’t willing to give Jones the big contract he was looking for.
In the end, the move worked out well for the Cardinals. Jones has developed into one of the league’s best defenders and even had 19.0 sacks last season. Cooper, however, flamed out fast in New England. He suffered a foot injury early into training camp and fell down the depth chart. The Pats released him a few weeks into the season.
Hopefully, if Arians takes another offensive lineman in the first round this year, the results will be better for Brady.
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