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Los Angeles Rams CB Mike Jordan can hang his hat on having some film out there from last season as an undrafted rookie free agent forced into the fire.
Promoted to the active roster in late November last year, he was very shaky – as expected – in his first game action against the New England Patriots in Week 13. His confidence really began to grow from that point. He didn’t exactly get thrown in at the best time as a rookie UDFA to begin his NFL career facing Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Matt Ryan. Still, he looked much better over the final four games and really showed well in run defense. Most importantly, he didn’t give up any big plays.
Roster Battle
The top four CB slots appear to be filled as Trumaine Johnson, E.J. Gaines, Kayvon Webster and Nickell Robey-Coleman appear to be set. After that, there's a battle for what might be only one slot. Because of safeties Lamarcus Joyner and John Johnson both having the ability to play corner, it seems less likely that more than five will be kept, though that's far from a guarantee. Jordan is facing competition for that final spot from Troy Hill, Aarion Penton (roster preview, Isaiah Johnson, (roster preview) and perhaps the back end of the depth chart with guys like Dominique Hatfield (roster preview), Blake Countess (roster preview) or Kevin Peterson (roster preview).
Expectations
I fully expect Jordan to have another solid training camp and preseason. Last year, he played well in games during the preseason ultimately leading him to a practice squad contract and eventually the active roster. As mentioned above, the confidence shown over the final three weeks should be a huge factor. Troy Hill’s pending suspension only helps matters.
Chances of making the Final Roster (6/10)
Jordan has a fairly decent chance to carve out a special teams role as and secure a depth spot. As far as the bottom of the CB depth chart goes, only Hill has more game experience, but he's facing a suspension. That experience coupled with his ability to press in a scheme that calls for just that gives him a decent chance to stick around.