Dion Jordan should have come into the NFL as the next great pass rushing defensive end. He was drafted No. 3 overall in 2013 by the Miami Dolphins. He was a four-year starter at the University of Oregon and registered double-digit sacks his junior and senior years after being converted from a wide receiver, of all things, after his freshman season.
Jordan was a rare athlete. 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds who ran a 4.6 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, had a 122-inch broad jump and a 4.35-second 20 yard shuttle, all some of the best marks set at the 2013 combine in Indianapolis. It was not a shock or a reach, by any means, for the Dolphins to take Jordan at No. 3. It’s everything that happened after that that went to hell.
Jordan signed a four-year, $20.572 million contract with a $13.341 million signing bonus and $15.5 million guaranteed. In response to that Jordan had a downright pathetic rookie season where he notched just 26 tackles and two sacks, then he began failing drug test after drug test until he finally had to sit out the entire 2015 season. Wednesday he will ask the NFL if he can come back. The problem is, does anybody want him?
Jordan played in a total of 26 games for the Dolphins. Here is every stat he collected; 46 tackles, three sacks and three passes defended. That isn’t a No. 3 pick. That’s an undrafted free agent barely holding on as a special teams player.
Tannenbaum on if Dion Jordan will get a sack this year: We certainly hope so. … Once he's reinstated, he'll be a member of our team.
— Hal Habib (@gunnerhal) May 19, 2016
If Jordan does get re-instated the Dolphins are back on the hook for his contract, which would pay him $5.36 million this year. If they cut him, they take a $3.07 million cap hit. Miami currently has $17.7 million in available cap space so they could take the hit either way. With an entirely new coaching staff, there has to be a temptation to keep Jordan over these final two seasons of his rookie contract and see what they can mold him into. The God-given talent is there. The head is the problem.
Jordan feels good about his chances of getting re-instated and he should. He claims he’s been drug-free since he got busted in Dec. 2014 and the tests will prove if he’s telling the truth. He’s about to get a second chance at the NFL and maybe even with the team that drafted him with such high hopes.
“I’m not about to waste it,” Jordan told USA Today. “I can’t waste it. And If—-ing love doing it. Who doesn’t love running out in front of 30,000-plus fans and you get that rush? But it’s also things that you can get that rush from that can be very satisfying and can carry you on to a successful life after football.”
Eric Fisher and Luke Joeckel- 2 guys before Dion Jordan. But which one has been labeled biggest bust in the media? https://t.co/IOoIMVN01v
— Turtle (@BSerious72) May 18, 2016
The problem with Jordan isn’t what he got busted for. I wrote just a couple of days ago how the NFL needs to change its marijuana policy to reflect current science the the legal status of the drug. Jordan also got busted for MDMA, according the USA Today, which is a whole different animal. Neither of these are “performance enhancing drugs.” In fact, you could argue that they’re performance diminishing drugs and Jordan’s first two seasons in the league seem to bear that out.
As part of Jordan’s comeback he’s been working with Tareq Azim, a trainer based in San Francisco. Azim is a former NFL player and MMA coach who worked with Strikeforce champion Jake Shields. His work as an NFL trainer began with former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch and we all know how that worked out.
https://twitter.com/IgglesCoverage/status/732642924261834752
Working with Aziz, Jordan has trimmed down about 13 pounds. The Dolphins have reportedly had no contact at all with Jordan since he was suspended. If Jordan does come back he’ll be joining a starkly different defense than the one he was drafted to play in. Currently the Dolphins should have an outstanding front four with Cameron Wake and Mario Williams at defensive ends and Ndamukong Suh at defensive tackle alongside last seasons second-round pick Jordan Phillips out of Oklahoma.
There’s a new head coach in Adam Gase and a new defensive coordinator in Vance Joseph, who’s specialty is defensive backs. But Jordan has the talent to make it, whether it’s in Miami or somewhere else. He just can’t let his off-the-field activities cost him again.
