Ex-Cal Star Cameron Jordan Named to NFL 30-and-Up All-Defensive Team
Former Cal standout Cameron Jordan is entering his 11th NFL season and he offers no hint that he approaching retirement.
The New Orleans Saints defensive end has been named to the Pro Bowl each of the past four seasons, and his streak of 145 straight regular-season starts is the second-longest active streak in the NFL.
And on Thursday he was named to the CBS Sports' NFL All-30-and-Over Defensive Team.
Jordan was a first-team selection in this rather odd but significant category of players 30 years old and older, but it indicates he is still at the top of his game despite his age.
Jordan turned 32 on July 10, which makes him the fifth-oldest player on this first-team 30-and-over defense. He is one of two former Pac-12 players on this illustrious squad, the other being safety Jordan Poyer, who played his college football at Oregon State.
No former Pac-12 players were on CBS Sports' second-team All-30-and-Over Defensive team.
Here are CBSSports' selections for its first-team 30-and-Over Defense, with the player's age in parentheses. The CBS Sports' comment on Cameron Jordan is also included:
DE: Cameron Jordan -- New Orleans Saints (32)
Jordan had a down year compared to his past three seasons (40.5 sacks), but he's still one of the top edge rushers in the game. He finished with just 66 pressures (down from 93 in 2019) and 7.5 sacks (15.5 the year prior), but still managed 51 tackles and 16 quarterback hits. Jordan's impact allowed Trey Hendrickson to land a huge free agent deal this offseason, and he's still the anchor of a Saints defense that finished third in the league with 351 pressures last season.
DT: Aaron Donald -- Los Angeles Rams (30)
DT: Fletcher Cox -- Philadelphia Eagles (30)
DE:Brandon Graham -- Philadelphia Eagles (33)
LB: Bobby Wagner -- Seattle Seahawks (31)
LB: Lavonte David -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31)
CB: Stephon Gilmore -- New England Patriots (30)
CB: Joe Haden -- Pittsburgh Steelers (32)
S: Harrison Smith -- Minnesota Vikings (32)
S: Malcolm Jenkins -- New Orleans Saints (33)
S: Jordan Poyer -- Buffalo Bills (30)
Jordan's sack total of 7.5 in 2020 matched his lowest season total since his rookie season in 2011. It was also less than half of his 2019 sack total of 15.5.
We expect Jordan to bounce back in 2021, and he will need to have a big season if the Saints are to win the NFC South title for a fifth consecutive year. Not only will the Saints be without quarterback Drew Brees for the first time since 2005, but Trey Hendrickson, the Saints defensive end opposite Jordan last season, signed a free-agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals in the offseason after recording 13.5 sacks in 2020.
Jordan will be counted on to anchor the Saints' defense again and provide veteran leadership for a team that will have a different look offensively.
Jordan talked about life without Drew Brees (and other issues) this week in this interview on Good Morning Football:
One thing that is a near certainty is that Jordan will be available for every game. He has played in all 171 NFL games (160 regular season, 11 postseason) since being the 24th overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft.
That's right, he has never missed a game in his NFL career. The only games in which he did not start in that span were the next-to-last regular-season game of his rookie season in 2011 and the first playoff game of that same 2011 season.
He has started every game since, which adds up to 145 consecutive regular-season starts, second on the active-streak list to Ndamukong Suh, who has made 147 straight starts. If you include postseason play, Jordan has made 154 consecutive starts.
As a senior at Cal in 2010, Jordan was a teammate of Keenan Allen and Marvin Jones, both of whom are still productive NFL wide receivers, and linebacker Mychal Kendricks, who played in his ninth NFL season in 2020 and apparently is trying to catch on with a team for 2021. It's hard to believe that 2010 Cal team coached by Jeff Tedford finished 5-7.
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Cover photo of Cameron Jordan by Derick Hingle, USA TODAY Sports
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