Jonathan Cooper Likely to Play Center in 2016: Latest Details and Reaction

The Arizona Cardinals have built a magnificent team in recent years, but 2013 first-round pick Jonathan Cooper has been a rare personnel misfire to date.   

Drafted No. 7 overall as a guard out of North Carolina, Cooper is being considered as an option at center. Fox Sports 910's Mike Jurecki reported the news Wednesday, as did NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, who heard Cooper's position change has indeed been decided.

Cooper has made only 11 starts in three seasons, per Rapoport. His presence or lack thereof didn't make much difference in 2015, when the Cardinals ranked third in run blocking and fifth in pass protection, per Football Outsiders.

Brilliant scheming by head coach Bruce Arians and exceptional quarterback play from Carson Palmer made Arizona the league's No. 2 scoring offense in 2015. General manager Steve Keim has also done well to build a top-tier defense, which had the second-most takeaways (33) last season.

Ted Larsen supplanted Cooper at right guard late in the 2015 campaign, but Arians' comments at the time suggested the team wasn't giving up on the latter, per AZCentral.com's Zach Buchanan:

"

When you look at the offensive linemen that are coming out of college today, it's going to take them a while to get at this level. (Cooper's) tough, he's athletic. He's just continuing to grow. Right now we don't have time for the growth, because Teddy’s got more experience and he's playing better. But I think he's going to be a heck of a player.

"

Incumbent starting center Lyle Sendlein is a free agent, so it makes sense for the Cardinals to see what Cooper can do moving forward.

After failing at both guard spots, though, the 26-year-old will have to prove he can work in tandem with Palmer and smoothly coordinate pre-snap pass protections and play changes.

It seems like a rather tall order, but this new challenge may be what Cooper needs to thrive amid a contract year. A.Q. Shipley was Sendlein's backup and figures to compete with Cooper for the starting spot.

If Cooper doesn't emerge as an above-average starter in 2016, the Cardinals will have no problem letting him walk in free agency. Keim also spent a 2015 first-rounder on offensive tackle D.J. Humphries, who still needs to prove himself and will take precedent to plug into the offensive line rotation.

With Palmer's career nearing an end and two torn ACLs in his past, he needs maximum protection as he tries to deliver a maiden Super Bowl for the Cardinals franchise. There's no time like this season for Cooper to finally live up to his gaudy draft status.