Dion Jordan Starting Over Again in San Francisco
When the Miami Dolphins face the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on Sunday, they'll be presented with a painful reminder of perhaps the worst draft in franchise history.
The 49ers roster includes both of the Dolphins' first two picks that year, Dion Jordan and Jamar Taylor, both of whom flopped in Miami — albeit for different reasons.
Interestingly, Jordan and Taylor both began the season on the 49ers practice squad after failing to make the initial 53-man roster but were promoted after injuries continued to hit the team.
The two players now have become key role players for the 49ers, Jordan as a pass rusher and Taylor as a nickel back.
For Jordan, the 49ers represent yet another chance to revive his career after stops with the Dolphins, Seahawks and Raiders.
Jordan, who has been reunited with former University of Oregon teammate Arik Armstead, says he's happy with his new situation and doesn't really feel as though he has something to prove to anyone.
“Not to everybody, more so to myself," Jordan said recently. "I feel like it has been a long road, but I’m here now. And I’m happy to be here. I’m just going to take it a day at a time. I love my teammates. I like where I’m playing, this organization. So I’ve just been trying to take it a day at a time and progress as a football player and really just be the best teammate I can. With my career, just let that be the No. 1 thing, being about the team and taking care of myself.”
In his first game with the 49ers, Jordan recorded a sack against the New York Giants, much to the delight of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
"He's had a ... I don't want to say he’s had a rough go of it, but he's got a chip on his shoulder," Saleh said. "He’s a lot better than people think he is and I love the way he plays, his mind-set every day at practice and I love that he's getting this opportunity and he's taking advantage of it."
Taking advantage of opportunities was something Jordan clearly didn't do in Miami after he was selected with the third overall selection in 2013 after the Dolphins gave the Raiders an earlier second-round pick to move up from 12th.
That pick probably stands as a front-runner for worst first-round selection in franchise history.
Jordan spent almost four years in Miami from the time he was drafted in 2013 to the time he was waived March 31, 2017 and during that time his three NFL suspensions matched his number of sacks in a Dolphins uniform.
After he sat out the entire 2015 season because of a suspension and all of 2016 because of a knee injury, there clearly was reason to wonder whether Jordan's NFL days were done.
But here we are in 2020 and Jordan is still going, still possessing the ability to get after the quarterback.
It's going to be hard looking at him Sunday and not wonder what could have been.
