National Football League

Dolphins release 2013 No. 3 overall pick Dion Jordan

Published Mar. 31, 2017 5:10 p.m. ET

Dan Graf

Defensive end Dion Jordan, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft who hasn’t played a game since 2014, was released Friday by the Miami Dolphins.

https://twitter.com/MiamiDolphins/status/847901609489313792

Jordan – who according to multiple reports failed a team physical — played in 16 games as a rookie but in just 10 the next season, missing six for two separate violations of the league’s substance abuse policy. A third violation in April 2015 cost him his 2015 season, and by the time he was ready to return to football in 2016 he was sidelined with a non-football-related knee injury.

The Dolphins took Jordan off the injured list in November to give him the opportunity to earn a roster spot, but he wasn’t ready to play after three weeks, so league rules forced the team to shut him down for the season. Dolphins coach Adam Gase told reporters at the time that Jordan was in no condition to play:

“He just wasn’t ready. His body’s not ready to go. His game is explosion off the ball, being able to redirect, that burst that you want a guy that plays his position have, and it’s not all the way back. That’s just what it is."