The Miami Dolphins likely knew two years ago that they would never see the player they'd hoped for in DE Dion Jordan.
In April 2015, the former No. 3 overall pick was slapped with his second consecutive NFL suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. By rule, Jordan would be sidelined for the entire season.
I wrote then that it was time for the Dolphins to cut ties with Jordan. A full season away from the NFL is extremely tough for a young player, especially for Jordan, who had personal issues off the field and was inexperienced on the field.
Before the suspension, Jordan had yet to find his way at the next level. The chances of his doing so after missing all of 2015 were slim.
However, the Dolphins didn't listen. They held out hope that the former top prospect, who was once an athletic freak, would get past his personal issues and develop into the playmaker many experts envisioned before the 2013 draft. It was a noble thought, albeit not very realistic.
To Jordan’s credit, he stayed out of trouble for a year to get reinstated by the NFL in 2016. But perhaps the final straw came last season when Jordan showed up to the Dolphins heavier than he once was and with an undisclosed knee injury.
The Dolphins weren’t allowed to have contact with Jordan during his suspension. So they were caught off guard by the knee injury, especially considering Jordan was out of football. The added weight could be expected, but it didn’t help. It wasn’t a good first impression for Miami’s new coaching staff, led by head coach Adam Gase.
Still, the Dolphins held on to Jordan even longer to see if he could get in shape and return to form before the end of the regular season. He couldn’t and never made the active roster last season.
With Jordan on the books for $3.255 million in 2017, the Dolphins could no longer afford to keep this failed experiment going. Maybe Jordan will eventually get another chance elsewhere in the NFL. But it was very clear two years ago that things would not work out for Jordan in Miami.