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Miami Dolphins’ Dion Jordan Ready for Return, but to Which Position?

 

Dion Jordan, Miami Dolphins

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Miami Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan’s suspension has come to an end, but where will he play? The third overall pick in the 2013 Draft missed the first six games of the season due to violations of the league’s performance enhancement, and substance abuse policies, and now finds himself buried on the depth chart behind a unit that played lights out against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

The top two defensive ends for the Dolphins, Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon, are in no danger of losing their starting spots, and Derrick Shelby has three sacks despite the off the field issues that kept him sidelined for a game. This all leads one to wonder what kind of role Jordan will play after being out of the team facility for the last seven weeks.

The answer could be twofold. Expect Jordan to take some of the substitutions for Wake and Vernon away from Shelby, but his impact may be felt more at outside linebacker. Philip Wheeler has struggled mightily in pass coverage, and Jordan’s athleticism makes him an interesting candidate to make an appearance at OLB in certain schemes, especially if the Dolphins are looking to bring extra pressure on the outside.

Assuming that Dion Jordan comes back in “football shape,” his athletic ability should get him on the field. If he doesn’t however, the suspension will have doomed his second season, and set his career back exponentially. After a disappointing rookie campaign, his performance over the last ten games of the season could very well define his time in Miami by either proving that he was worthy of the third overall pick, or that moving up in the draft was a crippling mistake.

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