The former No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 draft was suspended for at least a year last April due to repeated violations of the substance-abuse policy but claims he has been clean for two years and has passed two tests per week proving that since his penalty began. He said that he is confident he will get back into the league after passing two drug tests a week since his suspension began early previous year. “And I (expletive) love doing it”, Jordan told USAToday.com’s Tom Pelissero.
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“I’m not about to waste (this opportunity)”.
“To me”, Hendrickson said, “he should be a blueprint for the National Football League system of guys being out for a year in terms of what he’s been doing and how he’s come on of late”. He claims he’s been drug-free since he got busted in December 2014 and the tests will prove if he’s telling the truth. That’s not to say Jordan’s story isn’t true, just a realization that he wouldn’t be the first to try to sway public opinion by spinning his story in the best way possible.
If Jordan can stay clean for a few more months and then beyond, there is a good chance he can make his comeback to the National Football League and the Dolphins before training camp.
Jordan., for whom Miami traded up in 2013 to select with that third-overall pick, has played 26 games since his selection, recording 39 tackles and three sacks.
The hard part will be making good decisions away from the field. I just turned 26 years old, so life starts to hit you in the face.
Whether Jordan ever gets that chance is another matter. Had Jordan solidified his standing with the Dolphins by now, the energy they spent loading up at end could have gone toward solving the linebacking void. But Jordan has the talent to make it, whether it’s in Miami or somewhere else.
But that might be revisited because the Dolphins have more of a need at linebacker than end. But the Dolphins staff that drafted him out of OR is long gone, and should he be reinstated, the new regime has a decision to make – he is due a $1.7 million roster bonus on the fifth day of training camp. Cameron Wake is 34 and missed most of the 2015 season with a torn Achilles tendon. That could work in Jordan’s favor if he’s reinstated, stays out of trouble and does all the right things in Miami. He contends that the drug test failures were a result of pot and supplements and another for a watered down sample.
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Now Jordan could have the chance to not only give himself a second chance, but also the Miami Dolphins.
