Dolphins DE Dion Jordan may not be ready for 2013 opener
By Brad Rowland
The Miami Dolphins are clearly in love with rookie defensive end Dion Jordan, but they may be without his services when the 2013 regular season kicks off in a couple of weeks.
Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald is reporting that Jordan will definitely miss Saturday’s preseason game with the Buccaneers (not a surprise), but the bigger news is the report includes that the team has “growing concerns” about Jordan’s availability for week one. Miami has clearly built around the prospect of Jordan’s unique talent, and they paid a hefty price (trading up from #12 to #3 in the 2013 draft) to acquire him.
With that said, Jordan’s right shoulder has been bothering him during the entirety of the off-season, and there was already concern about his one-dimensional play as a pass-rusher early in camp. It is certainly in the Dolphins’ best interest to move him along slowly if there is any risk of long-term injury, but at the same time, the price was so high (and the expectations are so lofty) that it is a tough sell to see Jordan on the sideline when the season starts.
We won’t know a definitive answer until (much) closer to September 8th’s season opener, but for now, the news surrounding Dion Jordan isn’t fantastic in South Beach.