Jonathan Cooper could spend all year on Arizona Cardinals bench

The Arizona Cardinals remain undefeated thanks to a stout defense and a vastly improved offensive line that’s giving the quarterback — even when that man is Drew Stanton — enough time to make some plays.

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Now with the team’s seventh overall pick, guard Jonathan Cooper, recovering nicely from turf toe, one would think the line could get even better with his addition.

Not so fast, says Arizona offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin.

Cooper’s not playing anywhere until the current five-man unit falters or suffers injury.

“The longer they play together, the better they’re going to be as a unit,” Goodwin said of his offensive line, per the Arizona Republic, which he personally coaches. “We start rotating guys in and out, the communication gets screwed up and all of a sudden, bam! Something happens, bad. I’m not about that. If I’ve got five good guys, I’m going to stick with them.”

That leaves Cooper as the odd man out after guards Ted Larsen and Paul Fanaika stepped up in Cooper’s absence during the preseason.

It’s rare to see such a high pick and a prodigious talent sitting on the sidelines, but one can hardly blame the Cardinals for not wanting to tamper with success. The team just beat hated divisional rival San Francisco and now is looking to further prove its mettle as one of the top teams in the NFC.

For now, they’ll do that with the core of players who have gotten them this far.

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