The Miami Dolphins don't plan on increasing the defensive end Dion Jordan's role during the season's stretch run.
Jordan, the No. 3 overall pick in April's draft, played just nine snaps in the Dolphins' Monday night loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jordan had played between 20 and 30 snaps per game throughout most of his rookie season. Defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle contributed the drop-off in playing time to Tampa Bay's game plan. He said Jordan will continue to be featured just in passing situations.
"Dion is not going to be in there where teams are slugging it out running the football," Coyle said Tuesday, via The Palm Beach Post. "This team threw the ball 21 times in the game, and he was in there for half of them in the rotation that he's playing in right now.
"If teams are going to be featuring certain personnel and running the football on first and second down, that's not Dion's strength at this point in his time here with us. That's not going to change this season."
The Dolphins didn't invest heavily in Jordan so they could land a quality situational pass rusher. A bigger role will come, but Coyle is sending a not-so-subtle message that Jordan has to earn it. Being a top-three pick guaranteed Jordan nothing beyond a lucrative pay check.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" previewed "Thursday Night Football" and "stuck a fork" in the Bills' 2013 chances.
