Dolphins rookie defensive end Dion Jordan got off to a slow start this season because of a shoulder injury and he hasn’t seen his playing time grow all that much as the season has progressed.
Jordan played nine snaps against the Buccaneers on Monday night, which means he was on the field 14 percent of the time for the Dolphins defense. That’s because the Buccaneers weren’t throwing the ball all that often and Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle explained that the team isn’t going to put Jordan on the field if they think the opposition plans to keep the ball on the ground.
“Dion is not going to be in there where teams are slugging it out running the football,” Coyle said, via the Palm Beach Post. “This team threw the ball 21 times in the game, and he was in there for half of them in the rotation that he’s playing in right now. If teams are going to be featuring certain personnel and running the football on first and second down, that’s not Dion’s strength at this point in his time here with us. That’s not going to change this season.”
Plenty of edge rushers play limited roles early before becoming more complete players as their careers unfold, so it’s far too soon to draw any conclusions on Jordan’s ability to be a productive NFL player. If General Manager Jeff Ireland’s job is in trouble, though, the player he traded up to pick in the first round in April isn’t going to be in a position to do much to help him keep it.
