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Cameron Jordan snubbed by NFL Network

By Tyler Burchett

NEW ORLEANS, LA - NOVEMBER 13: Cameron Jordan #94 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates a sack with Paul Kruger #99 during the first half of a game against the Denver Broncos at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 13, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - NOVEMBER 13: Cameron Jordan #94 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates a sack with Paul Kruger #99 during the first half of a game against the Denver Broncos at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 13, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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The New Orleans Saints fall from relevance continues in the eyes of the rest of the NFL. The latest victim is the Saints best defensive player, defensive end Cameron Jordan.

The NFL Network recently released their “player voted” list of the top 100 players in the NFL. Cameron Jordan noticeably did not crack the list. It’s worth noting that this list should be taken with a grain of salt. For example, Dak Prescott was rated the #14 best player, two spots ahead of #16 rated Drew Brees. If you all could only see how hard I am rolling my eyes right now. However, this list does serve as a barometer for how a team is perceived around the NFL.

This continues a recent trend of disrespect by the NFL when it comes to the Saints. In 2016, the Saints did not have any players make the original Pro Bowl roster. Things like this will happen when a team goes 7-9. They will especially happen when a team misses the playoffs three years in a row.

Even so, the slight did not go unnoticed by Jordan, who tweeted about the snub.


To add insult to injury, Jordan was actually in the NFL Network studio recently. They even had him and former Saint Reggie Bush attempt to predict the order of the top 10 players on the list. Ouch. Talk about savage.

Cameron Jordan Has Been Spectacular

To put into context how ridiculous Jordan’s omission from this list is, I will turn to the team at Pro Football Focus. According to them, Jordan was ranked the #15 best player from 2016. Their key stat was that Jordan generated 79 QB pressures over the year. This happens to be the same number of pressures as Denver’s Von Miller, who is included in the top 10 of the NFL network list.

Taking it a step further, in another PFF ranking of just edge players, Jordan ranked #4. PFF had some thoughts as to why Jordan doesn’t get national attention. “Another player that doesn’t quite get the recognition they deserve because the sack totals aren’t there.” Jordan had 9 sacks last season.

Dec 24, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) is pressured by New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) in the fourth quarter at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 24, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) is pressured by New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) in the fourth quarter at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /

I’ll add another caveat, defensive players on 30-32nd ranked defenses normally don’t get accolades. If the Saints want their individual standouts to start getting the recognition they deserve, they need to improve as a unit.

If the Saints make the playoffs this year, it will be in part because of an improved defense. Once that happens, slights such as Cam Jordan being overlooked for both this list and the Pro Bowl will quickly be remedied come this time next year.

The cure for all the disrespect is simple. Win. At the end of the day, that’s all that’s ever mattered.

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