Dion Jordan expected to play against Cardinals
— -- SEATTLE -- Dion Jordan's comeback bid is on the verge of becoming a reality.
The Seattle Seahawks are expected to activate Jordan ahead of Thursday night's game against the Arizona Cardinals, a source confirmed to ESPN. It would mark the defensive end's first game since 2014.
Jordan's agent, Doug Hendrickson, congratulated his client on Twitter.
Jordan, the third overall pick in 2013, became one of the bigger draft disappointments in recent years when his career never got on track with the Miami Dolphins. He started only one of 26 games over his first two seasons while recording three sacks then was suspended for the 2015 season after another violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy. He had previously been suspended twice in 2014, first for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances and then for a violation of the substance abuse policy.
The Dolphins released Jordan after he missed the 2016 season with a knee injury. He signed a low-risk, one-year deal with the Seahawks in April but then needed another knee surgery. He has been on the non-football injury list and began practicing with the Seahawks two weeks ago.
"We were real excited about it to start, then he had kind of some setbacks that he had to deal with and he did," coach Pete Carroll said of Jordan. "He did extraordinary work to make it back through all of the stages of it. As he has returned to the action the last couple of weeks, it's been exciting to see him back out there. He's still rusty, and there's no way that he can't be. When he plays for the first time, it will be like his first preseason game in two years. But he's well-equipped. He's a big, strong, fast kid and dying to play."
Jordan has bulked up to 280 pounds after being listed around 250 earlier in his career. He played some outside linebacker in Miami, but the Seahawks view him as a defensive end. They have a need for depth there after Marcus Smith, part of the Seahawks' rotation at defensive end, suffered a concussion last week that is likely to sideline him for Thursday night's game, if not longer.
The Seahawks would have to clear a spot on their 53-man roster and activate Jordan by Wednesday night for him to be eligible to play Thursday.
"A lot of guys could lose interest," Carroll said of Jordan. "He didn't. He kept battling to get back. That's a great sign of what he's put into it. So we see a real competitive, great dude that wants to get back and prove it. All of that is impressive."
