Cameron's value is tainted with risk. He's
had one good season and a long history of concussions.
After playing out his modest four-year rookie deal, Jordan Cameron
joined the unrestricted free agent market. The rangy and versatile
tight end has just one impressive year to his name, making him one
of the most difficult free agents to gauge for any of his potential
suitors. Though multiple reports suggested he re-signed with the
team that originally drafted him, it soon came to light that the
talented pass catcher actually agreed to a two-year deal with the
Miami Dolphins.
If the Browns had used the franchise tag to keep him in Cleveland,
the financial burden would have been slightly more than the deal
he was erroneously reportedly to have signed. They were apparently
hesitant because of his recent injury history, suffering three
concussions in the last two years. With the Browns failing to
make a splash elsewhere in free agency, Cameron sought out a team
who appears to be gearing up for an AFC title race.
The Dolphins may have bought high based on the potential for
him to repeat his impressive 2013 performance, but in desperate
need of a red zone threat, Cameron finally gives them an able-bodied
large pass catcher for Ryan Tannehill to target. On the other
hand, Miami landed the single biggest free agent of the off-season
(Ndamukong Suh) and the ripple effect of his presence is encouraging
other top talents to entertain the idea of becoming a Dolphin.
If they’re able to attract the right pieces, Miami believes
they already have the core necessary to compete for a championship.
Fantasy Impact
At the high water mark for his career, Cameron recorded 80 catches
for 917 yards and seven touchdowns over the course of 15 games
two seasons ago. In the three other seasons he’s amassed
just 50-683-3 from 32 total games. Last year, the talented tight
end endured an ongoing quarterback battle and incredible inconsistencies
at the wide receiver position as well, so even when Cameron was
healthy the offense was far from performing at an impressive rate.
At age 26, Cameron is entering the prime of his career, and at
the cost of $15 million over the next two seasons it’s quite
possible that Miami is getting incredible value with this signing.
The team has already made a few big changes in their receiving
corps, trading away disgruntled wideout Mike Wallace and bringing
in emerging talent Kenny Stills as his direct replacement. Additionally,
the releases of Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson open up the
middle of the field for Cameron and fellow tight end Charles Clay.
The incumbent has been transition tagged so his eventual landing
spot may yet to be found (BUF?), but the team may be interested
in keeping him around as a talented counterpart to the newest
Dolphin signing. The best-case scenario for Miami is similar to
what another AFC East team rolled out just three seasons ago.
The perennial division champion (NE) used two dynamic tight ends
to terrorize opposing defenses, and with a speedy receiver added
to the mix they were nearly unstoppable. The Dolphins took a gigantic
cap hit with the signing of Suh, but with the shrewd pickup of
Stills and the beneficial shuffling-off of Wallace, they’re
in a position to maintain Clay alongside Cameron, and hopefully
reinvent the Patriots’ winning formula down in Miami.
With two of the three most sought after fantasy tight ends now
on new teams, and arguably in lesser offensive situations, Cameron
signing with the Dolphins puts him in a position to be one of
the top producers at that position. He’ll have to overcome
a recent string of injuries and navigate the frustrating waters
that occasionally accompany a Tannehill-led offense, but if it
weren’t for those potential pitfalls Cameron could be the
most fantasy-significant free agent signing of the off-season.