Impact On Miami Dolphins After Jordan Suspension

The Miami Dolphins will not have Dion Jordan for 2015 after he submitted a diluted sample which is the same as a failed test. The only question now is what will the fallout of Jordan’s suspension be on the teams draft plans and the 2015 season?

The answer? NONE, NADA, ZILCH, ZERO

Jordan will go down as one of the biggest flops in Miami draft history. Luckily the Dolphins only gave up their own first round pick, number 12 and their first of two 2nd round picks, number 42 to draft him. On draft day 2013 it was considered a steal. Dion Jordan was the top ranked defensive player in that draft class.

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On the field Jordan made little or no impact. He matched his three suspensions with three total sacks. He parlayed his one and one half seasons into 46 tackles and three assists. Last season Jordan made almost no impact on the field for the Dolphins. How do you replace that kind of production? Easily, with the guys that played last year in front of him.

The NFL Draft starts this Thursday and Jordan’s absence from the team will leave nary a hole to fill. In fact the Dolphins might get some money back on their cap. The reality is Jordan never lived up to the expectations that Jeff Ireland saw in him. While it’s quick to blame Ireland for the blunder the reality is that many other teams would have taken Jordan had the Dolphins not moved up. Including the Chip Kelly led Eagles at pick four.

The biggest negative to all of this is the fact that Miami and Philadelphia were talking about a trade for the linebacker/defensive end. That of course is now moot. The trade reportedly was looking like a late draft conditional pick so even that doesn’t cost Miami a whole lot in the “if only” category.

Sadly the Dolphins spent a lot of money on a top three draft prospect and got nothing in return, the positive is that the selection only caused the team to waste the picks it took to get him. Jordan’s failure to impact the team on the field was so negligible that Miami’s current crop of defensive end’s and even linebackers make the draft considerations a non-issue as well. To put it clearly Jordan was taking up a roster spot and nothing more.

The Dolphins do not have a hole to fill with his departure but free up a roster spot for an un-drafted rookie or a veteran. With Jordan now gone, some young player will get a chance to make the final 53 with  him not on the team. It’s a half-empty/half-full optimistic look at a huge bust.

Jordan isn’t the only one who has hurt Miami. Let’s not forget that the Dolphins sent a pair of first round picks to New Orleans for Ricky Williams and then watched him smoke his way to several suspensions as well. It obviously had a major impacts on the field and Ricky is still considered by many to be one of the best Dolphins in team history. Something Jordan will never hear.

In the end, Jordan was not going to be a Dolphins long as it was. He was going to compete for playing time at outside linebacker and even that was going to be a stretch. The worst part is that Jordan was never a need player for this team and never fit the scheme the Dolphins run on defense. And that is the only thing that was wasted by all of this.

What remains now is only a question of when the Dolphins will cut ties with their former top three pick.