Dion Jordan on trading block?
Miami Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan on the bench during the game against the New Orleans Saints at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Dolphins made a surprising move to trade up in last year’s draft for Oregon Ducks DE/OLB Dion Jordan, who was one of the most talented prospects in the draft class due to his elite athleticism, explosiveness, speed, size, versatility, and intriguing coverage ability (despite being a DE, the Ducks would use him to cover slot receivers at times). Jordan didn’t play much as a rookie for the Dolphins, which led to further ire directed at the Dolphins coaching staff for not getting such a highly drafted player more involved in his first season.
The Dolphins didn’t seem to sour on Jordan either and still seemed to like his upside, but they didn’t exactly seem totally willing to give him the keys to a starting job in 2014. Defensive end was never a need for the Dolphins, which made their decision to trade up for Jordan all the more surprising when it did happen last year. I mean, Cameron Wake is one of the league’s best, and Olivier Vernon was a breakout guy last year (though his breakout wasn’t that easy to see coming).
CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora has dropped a real bombshell on us today by reporting that the Dolphins are “gauging” Dion Jordan’s trade value this offseason not even a year after drafting him. They barely played him as a rookie, and now new GM Dennis Hickey already wants to shop him around the league. That could be seen as an indictment of Jordan, Jeff Ireland, or even Hickey himself. To me, it’s too early to give up on a guy with Jordan’s talent and scheme versatility, even if the Dolphins prefer to start Vernon and Koa Misi (at OLB); a good team should be able to find a way to get talented players involved in a variety of ways. And more importantly, the Dolphins simply aren’t going to get fair value for Jordan, especially considering what they invested in him last offseason.
I know Jordan’s raw, but he’s also a very talented player. It’s difficult to make sense of news that’s as shocking at this, but my gut feeling is that the Dolphins should stay put.
Update: FOX Sports’s Mike Garafolo reports that the Dolphins told Jordan the trade rumors aren’t true.