Dion Jordan trade rumors start to circulate again; Eagles offered second and player for Dolphins DE

Every couple of weeks as of late, rumors begin to circulate about the Miami Dolphins looking to trade defensive end Dion Jordan, who the team selected with the third overall pick in last year's NFL Draft. After trading up to grab Jordan, the rookie struggled through injuries in the preseason and was limited during the regular season to spot duty. With a new general manager in place, the idea is that the Dolphins, who run a 4-3 defensive scheme, would like to trade Jordan, who seems to be an ideal fit in a 3-4 scheme.

The rumors seem to concentrate on the Philadelphia Eagles, whose head coach, Chip Kelly, was Jordan's coach in college. The Eagles were thought to be the most likely landing place for Jordan in the Draft, before the Dolphins jumped ahead of them.

As was pointed out to me by Brandon Lee Gowton from SB Nation's Bleeding Green Nation, reports have now surfaced that the past rumors of a potential trade may not have been that far-fetched. Bob Grotz of Philadelphia's The Mercury newspaper reported today the Eagles offered the Dolphins their second-round pick this year and defensive end Brandon Graham in exchange for Jordan.

Obviously, Jordan remains with the team, something I don't see changing any time soon, unless a team simply blows the Dolphins out of the water with an offer. The team made an investment to move up to get Jordan, and, even with the change of GMs, Jordan should be a key factor in the future of the Miami defense. While Dennis Hickey should not be worried about the appearances of a mistake by Jeff Ireland, Jordan should not be seen as a mistake. His talent level is too great to bail on him this early. Along with the injuries last year, Jordan was prohibited from practicing with the team, or even simply attending OTAs and minicamps, until just before the start of training camp due to an NFL rule preventing rookies from joining their clubs until the end of the academic calendar. Oregon's quarters system forced Jordan to stay away from the Dolphins.

Then there is the salary cap reasoning for keeping him. Trading Jordan would cost the Dolphins $10 million in salary cap space due to his signing bonus accelerating into this year.

Jordan should be wearing aqua next season, and rightfully so. It is interesting to see that the Eagles actively pursued Miami's defensive end, and, theoretically, could still be in the market, even if the Dolphins are not overly agreeable to the deal.

To see the Eagles side of the story, check out Bleeding Green Nation.