When New England traded Chandler Jones in March 2016 after his Pro Bowl and Super Bowl victory, Arizona gained a pass rusher near his peak. The Syracuse alum joined the desert team and quickly made the edge his domain, transforming from a solid defender into one of the most disruptive, high-strip-sack players in NFL history.

Jones, standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 265 pounds with an 84-inch wingspan, used his physical advantage to outmatch most edge rushers of his era. His key move—a swift cross-chop combined with a long-arm extension—enabled him to dominate boundary tackles and gain leverage while maintaining speed. What set him apart was his exceptional ball awareness during his rush; instead of just sacking the quarterback, he often targeted the passer's arm, transforming fast rushes into immediate turnovers.

His first season in 2016 in Arizona saw him immediately record 11.0 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. However, his 2017 season set a new standard for individual excellence in franchise history. Transitioning smoothly to outside linebacker, Jones led the entire NFL in both sacks (17.0) and tackles for loss (28). His single-season franchise record for sacks earned him First-Team All-Pro honors, a Pro Bowl invitation, and a third-place finish in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Even after the franchise switched to a 4-3 defense in 2018, requiring Jones to move to defensive end, he continued to perform at a high level, recording 13.0 sacks. In 2019, he surpassed himself with an outstanding display of edge rush skills. Jones broke his own single-season team record with 19.0 sacks and led the league with 8 forced fumbles, finishing as the runner-up for NFL Defensive Player of the Year and earning his second First-Team All-Pro selection as a Cardinal. His 2019 season included two games with four sacks each, establishing him as a key player during an era in which he forced 23 fumbles in a Cardinals uniform.

After suffering a torn bicep that largely sidelined his 2020 season, Jones made a powerful comeback in 2021. He made a major impact by tying the franchise single-game record with 5.0 sacks in the season opener against Tennessee. He ended the season with 10.5 sacks and earned his fourth career Pro Bowl selection. Before moving to Las Vegas in 2022, Jones established himself as Arizona's top modern-era pass rusher. In just 84 games with the team, he accumulated 71.5 sacks, 81 tackles for loss, 131 quarterback hits, and 23 forced fumbles.

An undrafted free agent pickup after being released by the Los Angeles Rams, Jim Bakken signed with St. Louis in 1962 and proceeded to anchor the franchise's kicking game for 17 seasons. His arrival coincided with a rapid evolution in special teams tactics, turning a former Wisconsin defensive back into one of the sport's pioneering full-time placekicking specialists.

Operating with a traditional, straight-on kicking style, Bakken was renowned for his mental composure, trajectory control, and execution in heavy crosswinds. Beyond his scoring, his endurance was exceptional: between 1963 and 1978, he appeared in 234 consecutive regular-season games for the Cardinals, establishing an ironclad attendance record at the position.

Bakken's early peak included an iconic performance on September 24, 1967, against Pittsburgh. Playing through gusting winds at Pitt Stadium, Bakken converted 7 field goals in a single game, setting an NFL record that stood untouched for four decades. That historic afternoon propelled him to the 1967 NFL scoring title with 117 points while earning his second career Pro Bowl invitation.

He sustained an elite competitive level straight into the mid-1970s as the high-scoring "Air Coryell" offenses provided constant field-position scoring opportunities. Bakken turned in back-to-back dominant years in 1975 and 1976, earning consensus First-Team All-Pro honors and Pro Bowl nods in both campaigns. His consistency across two distinct decades earned him selections to both the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team and the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team.

By the time he hung up his cleats following the 1978 season, Bakken had accumulated 1,380 total points, converting 282 field goals and 534 extra points. That total ranked second in NFL history at the time of his retirement and remains an untouched Cardinals franchise scoring record.

Drafted in the 14th round of the 1960 NFL Draft from Dayton, Bob DeMarco arrived in St. Louis with modest expectations but soon became a key part of the team. After playing a few games as a rookie guard in 1961, he took over as the starting center in 1962 and kept that role for the rest of the decade.

DeMarco was a resilient and technically skilled interior blocker, thriving in an era focused on physical, ground-and-pound football. Renowned for his sharp pre-snap line calls and quick snap-and-step execution, he consistently managed tough head-up nose tackles while creating running lanes for backs like John David Crow and Johnny Roland. His durability at the pivot offered essential continuity for an offense that frequently changed backfield setups during the 1960s.

DeMarco earned his first national recognition during the 1963 campaign, garnering his first Pro Bowl selection and AP Second-Team All-Pro honors. He maintained a high standard of play at center, securing a second Pro Bowl invitation in 1965.

His career peaked in the 1967 season, when his dominant play in the trenches earned him consensus First-Team All-Pro honors and his third Pro Bowl selection. He continued to build on his reputation with a Second-Team All-Pro selection in 1968, cementing his status as one of the NFC's top interior linemen. From 1962 to 1969, DeMarco started 103 of 107 games at center for St. Louis, anchoring the offensive line during the height of his career.

Following nine seasons in St. Louis, DeMarco departed after the 1969 campaign. He went on to play six more seasons across stints with Miami, Cleveland, and Los Angeles before retiring in 1975 with 185 total games played.

1949 PRELIMINARY RESULTS:

Thank you for all of you who have participated in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project, and if you are unaware of what that is, simply, we acted as if the PFHOF had their first class in January of 1946?

We have completed the first two years, where a Preliminary, Semi-Final and Final vote for the 1946 Class, which inducted two full classes

For “1949” a Preliminary Vote with 130 players whose playing career ended by 1943. We are also following the structure in that players have 20 years of eligibility, and if they do not make it into the Hall, they are relegated to the Senior Pool.

Last week, each voter was asked to select 25 names from the preliminary list, with the top 25 vote getters named as Semi-Finalists.

This week, the voters were asked to pick 15 names from the 25 Semi-Finalists, and next week, they will pick five from the remaining 15. We will continue this process weekly until we catch up to the current year.

29 Votes took place

This is for the “Modern Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals:

This is for the “Senior Era”

*Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals:

Next Saturday, we will be posting the results of the 1949 Class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project.

Thank you to all who contributed, and if you want to be a part of this project, please let us know!