Dolphins' Philbin says Dion Jordan will continue to play defensive end

The Miami Dolphins finally appear to have settled on a position for Dion Jordan, but it may not be the one most had expected.

Instead of moving Jordan to linebacker, where he'd see plenty of snaps on early downs, head coach Joe Philbin told reporters Tuesday that the team plans to continue utilizing him at defensive end going forward.

While a full-time linebacker role likely wouldn't be a fit for Jordan's skills either, a hybrid role between the two in which he'd become a starter at the position and shift down to defensive end in nickel packages has long been thought to be a logical solution.

With Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon entrenched as the starters at defensive end, however, Philbin's comments would seem to suggest that Jordan could once again be limited to a rotational role in 2015.

Now two years removed from trading up to select him with the third overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Dolphins should be doing anything they can to get Jordan on the field and take advantage of his elite athletic ability.