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Brian Thorne | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


2015 Fantasy Impact - Miami's Revamped Receiving Corps Includes Tight End Jordan Cameron
3/16/15

Jordan Cameron

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.