The San Francisco 49ers were in the market for a veteran defensive end, although the one they've chosen to bring aboard is a bit of a surprise. San Francisco officially signed Dion Jordan to a contract on Friday, choosing the former No. 3 overall pick over Ziggy Ansah, who worked out with the team earlier this week.
Jordan played seven games for the Oakland Raiders last season, finishing with two sacks, five pressures and two quarterback hits in seven games. He tallied just 173 snaps after serving a 10-game suspension to open the season for violating the league's PED policy. Jordan was suspended due to usage of Adderall, as his therapeutic use exemption had expired. He appealed the decision, but it was denied by the league. This was Jordan's second violation of the PED policy, the first being in 2013 after testing positive for a banned stimulant.
Despite being the third overall pick in 2013, Jordan's career has been a disappointment -- both on and off the field. Only starting four of the 50 games he's played, Jordan has just 10.5 sacks and 20 quarterback hits with the Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks and Raiders. Jordan has violated the league's substance-abuse policy on multiple occasions, which included a diluted sample in December 2014 that led to a minimum one-year banishment from the NFL in 2015. He missed two full seasons before returning to the league with the Seahawks in 2017, signing with the team just 11 days after the Dolphins released him.
Jordan vowed to clean up his life and he's still continuing his NFL comeback. Knee problems have limited Jordan, but he'll compete for the No. 4 spot at defensive end with Kentavius Street, Kerry Hyder, and Ronald Blair. Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa and Dee Ford have the top three end spots in the rotation on lockdown. If Jordan can crack the rotation, he has the opportunity to make an impact on one of the top pass rushing units in football.
