Cincinnati Bengals rookie guard Michael Jordan is a big part of the message new head coach Zac Taylor just sent to the players and fans — the best players will play.
Jordan gets the nod at left guard over a host of others. Beside him, Trey Hopkins will start at center in place of first-round product Billy Price.
A fourth-round pick, the 21-year-old Jordan, who checks in at 6’6″ and 315 pounds, earned the job because he hasn’t looked like a rookie. Taylor told the media:
“The athleticism that we saw on college tape is there. The football intelligence — he played (several different line positions) at Ohio State. They had a lot of confidence in him. He played center; he made all the calls. He’s been very flexible for us. It hasn’t been too big for him. There hasn’t been a moment where he looked like a rookie. You see all the athleticism and all the power that he can bring to the table.”
Whether Jordan remains in the starting role depends entirely on him. Coaches as recently as this month have said inconsistency has been an issue. If he’s struggling, Price is the first guy off the bench and the coaches have some options there if they want to reshuffle the entire lineup.
Jordan doesn’t have any breathing room to look like a rookie in Week 1 — in Seattle of all places. He’s done well to win the job, but the task only gets tougher from here.
