Cameron Jordan, the all-time sack leader for the New Orleans Saints and an eight-time Pro Bowler, is focused on handling his new situation with grace.
At 35 years old and in his 14th NFL season, Jordan played a career-low 20 out of 72 defensive snaps during the Saints’ 15-12 loss to Philadelphia last Sunday. Before that, he played 34 out of 70 snaps in a win against Dallas and 27 out of 59 snaps in the season opener against Carolina.
This means he’s been on the field for about 40% of the defensive plays this season. This marks a big change for Jordan, who has usually been a go-to defensive end for the last 13 seasons.
Despite any personal feelings he may have about this situation, Jordan emphasized this week that complaining is not what the team needs from him as a defensive leader.
“This is an opportunity to show what a leader I am,” Jordan said while preparing for the game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
“There’s no entitlement here,” he continued. “Each and every day you’ve got to come out here and work and earn it. As a team we’re trying to win. Personal feelings have always been set aside.”
Five years ago, Jordan was one of the toughest defensive ends in the league, recording a career-high 15 1/2 sacks in 2019. In 2017, he had 13 sacks and was also known for batting or tipping passes, even catching one himself for a touchdown.
Jordan has also been strong against the run throughout his career and has been durable, missing only two games in the past 13 seasons—one due to COVID-19 and the other because of an injury.
Last season, he had just two sacks, the lowest since he had only one in his rookie year of 2011. However, coaches recognized that he played through injuries for much of the season.
Now, Jordan is sharing playing time with Carl Granderson and Chase Young, and coach Dennis Allen mentioned that this arrangement might continue for a while.
“It’s no disrespect or anything negative towards Cam,” Allen said, emphasizing that Jordan is still a “vital part” of the defense. “That’s just kind of how this game goes at some point in time.”
This season, Jordan has mostly come in for a defensive tackle during passing plays, as part of what the Saints call their “NACAR package,” which uses three pass-rushing defensive ends in a four-man line.
“At the end of the day, it’s always, ‘What more can I do for my team? What can I do for my teammates?’” Jordan said. “And you have to embrace your new role. You’ve got to embrace every opportunity you’re given.”
Although the Saints’ defense has worked well as a team with Jordan on the field, he has not recorded any sacks, tackles for loss, or quarterback hurries in the first three games of the season.
“Cam’s a pro. He’ll be a pro about it,” veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu said. “The competitor in him, obviously, it’s probably a little heavy on him, weighing on him.”
However, Mathieu stressed that Jordan’s importance isn’t just about his ability to pressure quarterbacks.
“He adds a lot of value in leading the young guys in his room and being that link between coaches and players,” Mathieu said.
“He shouldn’t feel down about himself. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame one day. But I think this is part of his story, just kind of embracing that new role,” Mathieu continued.
“Cam has given his all to this organization and this city. You root for guys like that. You want them to succeed. You want guys like that to be happy no matter what.”
