NFL teams normally expect their first-round draft pick to start right away. That's especially true of the No. 3 overall pick, but things aren't going as planned with Dion Jordan in Miami.
The Dolphins defensive end barely has practiced since the April draft because of shoulder surgery combined with the NFL's rule barring players from practicing until their college class graduates. Jordan's injury limited him to start training camp before he ramped up his work last week. He hasn't practiced since playing just seven snaps in Friday's preseason game.
Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle said Jordan is not competing with Olivier Vernon for the starting job opposite Cameron Wake. It's Vernon's job. The team is hoping Jordan can be a situational pass rusher, but even that seems up in the air.
"We still have three weeks of training camp, so it is a little bit premature to determine what (Jordan's) status will be when we begin the season," Coyle said Monday, via the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "We're going to take it one day at a time and move forward."
It's early, but the Dolphins might not get the impact they hoped for from their rookie class.
