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Jordan Cameron

TE Jordan Cameron Retires

March 9th, 2017 at 10:19pm CST by Ben Levine

After suffering four concussions in four seasons, tight end Jordan Cameron has decided to step away from football. Ryan Bartow of 247Sports.com reports (via Twitter) that the veteran has retired from the NFL.

Jordan Cameron (vertical)Cameron entered the league as a fourth-round pick in 2011, and he proceeded to play four seasons with the Browns. The tight end earned a Pro Bowl birth in 2013 following a campaign where he collected 80 receptions for 917 yards and seven touchdowns. He signed a two-year, $15MM deal with the Dolphins prior to the 2015 season, and he played 16 games during his first season in Miami. However, Cameron continued to rack up concussions, limiting him to only three games this past season. The 28-year-old will have finished his career having played in 66 career games.

Dolphins coach Adam Gase told reporters in November that the tight end was still interested in playing, perhaps implying that the organization would have welcomed him back. Instead, the team is currently rolling with Julius Thomas, Anthony Fasano, MarQueis Gray, and Thomas Duarte as their tight ends.

Despite the injury history, we still ranked Cameron as the 14th-best free agent tight end.

Top 2017 Free Agents By Position 2.0: Offense

March 6th, 2017 at 11:00pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL free agency is right around the corner! The legal tampering period starts on Tuesday and free agency officially starts on Thursday. The list of available free agents will change between now and then as players re-sign with teams or get cut loose, but we have a pretty good idea of who will be available right now. After looking at the top defensive players, we now shift our attention to the other side of the ball.

Here are our rankings for the top 15 free agents at each position. The rankings aren’t determined by earning power, they are simply the players we like the most at each position, with a combination of short- and long-term value taken into account. You won’t find restricted free agents or franchise tagged guys here since they are unlikely to go leave their current clubs.

Player evaluation is always subjective, so we encourage you to make your voices heard in the comments section in cases where you disagree with us.

Here’s our breakdown of the current top 15 free agents by offensive position for 2017:

Updated 3-7-2017, 2:55pm CT

Quarterback:

  1. Mike Glennon
  2. Nick Foles
  3. Brian Hoyer (story)
  4. Ryan Fitzpatrick
  5. Colin Kaepernick
  6. Josh McCown
  7. Case Keenum
  8. Matt McGloin
  9. Mark Sanchez
  10. Ryan Mallett
  11. Christian Ponder
  12. Blaine Gabbert
  13. Geno Smith
  14. Matt Schaub (story)
  15. EJ Manuel

Honorable mention: Ryan Nassib, Landry Jones, Shaun Hill Mike Glennon (vertical)

Colin Kaepernick’s agents have (wisely) let everyone know that their client will stand for the National Anthem in 2017. That may seem like a minor point, but teams say they would have automatically removed him from consideration if he continued his attention-grabbing protest. He grabbed headlines for his actions on the sidelines last year, but he actually turned in an OK season. From a football standpoint, Kaepernick would make sense for a lot of teams as a QB2 with upside.

Interestingly, this list includes three quarterbacks who couldn’t cut it as the Jets’ starter and three rejects from the 49ers. They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and all six of those players (Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kaepernick, Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith, Christian Ponder, Blaine Gabbert) come with varying degrees of potential and proven effectiveness. Smith, somehow, could reportedly be retained by the Jets and installed as the starter in 2017.

Ryan Nassib is just outside of the top 15 here with EJ Manuel getting the final spot. Despite positive word about his play in practice, Nassib is unproven and the Giants’ apparent lack of interest in re-signing him says a lot. It’s also possible that he might not be 100% after ending the 2016 season on IR with an elbow injury. Manuel, for all his warts, has shown potential in small bursts.

Running back:

  1. Eddie Lacy
  2. Adrian Peterson
  3. LeGarrette Blount
  4. Latavius Murray
  5. Jamaal Charles
  6. Darren McFadden
  7. Jacquizz Rodgers
  8. Rex Burkhead
  9. Rashad Jennings
  10. Danny Woodhead
  11. Tim Hightower
  12. DeAngelo Williams
  13. Andre Ellington
  14. Chris Johnson
  15. Christine Michael

Honorable mention: Robert Turbin, Travaris Cadet, Benny Cunningham, Lance Dunbar, Bobby Rainey, Brandon Bolden, Denard Robinson, James Starks

Adrian Peterson (vertical)As expected, the Vikings have cut Adrian Peterson loose and he is expected to garner interest from contending clubs this week. Some might peg Peterson as the most talented running back in this year’s free agent class, but it all comes down to how you weigh his age and injury history. Peterson has shocked the football world in the past with an incredible comeback, but I’m a little skeptical of his ability to do it again in his age-32 season. Eddie Lacy, who has injury question marks of his own, takes the top spot at the position.

The Patriots believe they won’t be able to match the offers that come in LeGarrette Blount‘s direction. Latavius Murray could circle back to the Raiders, but he won’t be agreeing to a deal with them before free agency opens on Thursday.

Jamaal Charles has the most impressive resume of anyone on this list, with the exception of Peterson. However, no one knows exactly what he can do after playing eight games in the last two years. He’ll turn 31 in December and that’s usually not an indicator of success for running backs.

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Top 2017 NFL Free Agents By Position: Offense

February 23rd, 2017 at 9:57pm CST by Zachary Links

[UPDATE: CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST EDITION OF THE TOP 2017 NFL FREE AGENTS BY POSITION]

NFL free agency will get underway on Thursday, March 9th, and while the list of free agents will change between now and then, we do have some idea of who will be available when free agency kicks off. The frenzy is right around the corner and it’s time for us to break down the outlook for each position. We’ll start today on offense, before getting to defense and special teams later this week.

Listed below are our rankings for the top 15 free agents at each offensive position. The rankings aren’t necessarily determined by the value of the contracts that each player is expected to land in free agency, they are simply the players we like the most at each position, with both short- and long-term value taken into account. Restricted and exclusive-rights free agents are not listed here since they are unlikely to actually reach the open market.

We’ll almost certainly be higher or lower on some guys than you are, so we encourage you to make your voice heard in our comments section to let us know which free agents we’ve got wrong.

Here’s our breakdown of the current top 15 free agents by offensive position for 2017:

Quarterback:

  1. Kirk Cousins
  2. Mike Glennon
  3. Nick Foles
  4. Brian Hoyer
  5. Ryan Fitzpatrick
  6. Case Keenum
  7. Matt McGloin
  8. Mark Sanchez
  9. Geno Smith
  10. Ryan Mallett
  11. Josh McCown
  12. Christian Ponder
  13. Blaine Gabbert
  14. Matt Schaub
  15. Ryan Nassib

Honorable mention: Shaun Hill

As of this writing, Kirk Cousins is far and away the best potential free agent quarterback in this year’s crop. By the time March gets here, we’re fully expecting Cousins to be spoken for. Ultimately, the Redskins could franchise tag him, work out a long-term deal with him, or swing some type of trade that nets them a massive haul of talent and picks. That will leave a crop of retread quarterbacks that would probably best serve as transitional options for QB-needy teams. Kirk Cousins

Mike Glennon hasn’t done much in his 18 career starts, but talent evaluators are still in love with his size and potential. The 6’7″ quarterback will get more money this spring than you might expect, particularly since there are no surefire QBs in this year’s draft.

Teams looking for stopgap QBs will find a plethora of experienced, though perhaps uninspiring, signal callers. Nick Foles, Brian Hoyer, and Ryan Fitzpatrick all have their best football behind them, but they could hold down the fort for a team in 2017 and maybe even find some success if the defense is strong enough. Of course, the ideal role for those guys would probably be as a backup to a better, younger quarterback.

Running back:

  1. Le’Veon Bell
  2. Eddie Lacy
  3. LeGarrette Blount
  4. Latavius Murray
  5. Darren McFadden
  6. Jacquizz Rodgers
  7. Rashad Jennings
  8. Danny Woodhead
  9. Rex Burkhead
  10. Tim Hightower
  11. DeAngelo Williams
  12. Andre Ellington
  13. Chris Johnson
  14. Christine Michael
  15. Robert Turbin

Consider Le’Veon Bell‘s name written in Etch-A-Sketch, because he is very unlikely to get near the open market. That could leave Eddie Lacy as the best tailback available in March. Lacy has struggled with weight issues in recent years and he lost much of the 2016 season to injury. Still, he is a bruising back that could nicely complement a quicker ball carrier. Before he was shut down for the year, Lacy was averaging 5.07 yards per carry in five games for Green Bay.

LeGarrette Blount (vertical)In the last two years, LeGarrette Blount seems to have put his off-the-field troubles behind him. Whether that’s a sign of his maturity or a product of the Patriots’ culture remains to be seen. Teams can ignore his past indiscretions, but they will be wary of his age. Blount turns 31 in December.

Latavius Murray has shown glimpses of being a special running back, but he has been inconsistent and his 4.0 yards-per-carry average of the last two years isn’t overly impressive. Darren McFadden ran for more than 1,000 yards in 2015, but 2016 was pretty much a lost year for him. Jacquizz Rodgers seemed to break out last year, but he wound up succumbing to the same injury bug that took down a host of other Buccaneers running backs. Speaking of injuries, Rashad Jennings was initially brought to the Giants to be a workhorse back, but two of his three years in New York were marred by ailments. Everyone in this tier has the potential to make a difference, but none should be counted on as anyone’s main guy in 2017.

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AFC East Notes: Pats, Cannon, Revis, Dolphins

November 29th, 2016 at 8:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Under the terms of his extension with the Patriots, right tackle Marcus Cannon will earn $19.8MM in cash over the first three years of the deal, which, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes (Twitter link), is often a key metric in contract analysis. So while Cannon’s new pact won’t approach that of Lane Johnson, who remains the highest-paid right tackle in the NFL, Cannon is still earning a top-tier RT contract through the three-year cash lens. Recent right tackles that have signed comparable deals include Mitchell Schwartz ($19.56MM in the first three years), Bryan Bulaga ($18.96MM), and Joe Barksdale ($16.5MM).

Here’s more from the AFC East, including another look at the Cannon extension:

  • Negotiations between the Patriots and Cannon could have been greased by the recent agreement between the Falcons and fellow right tackle Ryan Schraeder, tweets Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. Schraeder reached a five-year, $31.5MM deal with Atlanta last week that included $7.5MM in full guarantees. Cannon, meanwhile, scored $1MM more in total value, and while initial reports peg his guarantee at $14.5MM, that figure almost certainly refers to injury-only guarantees. As Fitzgerald notes (Twitter link), the Schraeder/Cannon extensions could place a cap on the right tackle market, and it will likely be up to a free agent to break through that barrier. Upcoming free agent right tackles include Riley Reiff, Ricky Wagner, and Sebastion Vollmer.
  • The Jets have mismanaged the late-career struggles of cornerback Darrelle Revis, argues Fitzgerald in a full article for OTC. Because Revis’ 2017 guarantee is in the form of base salary (not prorated signing bonus), New York can’t cut him before the first day of free agency without the dead money accelerating onto the 2016 cap. As such, the club has little option than to carry his full cap charge until the 2017 league year begins, and then release him in order to save cap space.
  • The Patriots‘ recent move to claim defensive tackle Darius Kilgo off waivers could indicate that the verdict of Alan Branch’s appeal of his four-game suspension is coming soon, Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com writes. Kilgo is a run stopper in the middle, which is Branch’s strong suit, so New England could be bracing for the impending loss of Branch.
  • Dolphins tight end Jordan Cameron is uncertain about his football future, as he tells Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post that his status is “up in the air right now.” Cameron, 28, was ruled out for the year after suffering the fourth reported concussion of his career. Those repeated brain injuries could force Cameron to hang up his cleats after a six-year career.
  • The Dolphins worked out wide receivers Da’Ron Brown, Marcus Johnson, Jay Lee, and Corey Washington today, according to Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (Twitter link). Miami pass-catcher DeVante Parker is day-to-day with a back injury, so the club is likely just looking for depth.

Jordan Cameron Wants To Keep Playing

November 7th, 2016 at 2:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Dolphins coach Adam Gase told reporters today that tight end Jordan Cameron wants to continue playing (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). This declaration comes after word that Cameron was thinking about walking away from football in light of his concussions. Jordan Cameron (vertical)

Gase says that Cameron thought about retirement in recent days but ultimately decided to forge ahead. Cameron will be sidelined for the remainder of this season after his fourth concussion in four years sent him to IR this weekend. Cameron hasn’t taken the field since the traumatic brain injury was suffered in late September.

Cameron had a career year in 2013 with the Browns, when he established career-highs in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. Unfortunately, he has not come close that kind of production since then. Cameron flopped in 2014, a contract year, and wound up in Miami on a two-year, $15MM deal. After an underwhelming 2015, the Dolphins had him rework his deal this offseason.

For now, Miami will forge ahead with MarQueis Gray and Dominique Jones at tight end until Dion Sims is back in action. This offseason, the Fins may look to address the position in free agency or the draft.

Dolphins Place Jordan Cameron On IR

November 5th, 2016 at 11:16am CST by Ben Levine

After having suffered his fourth concussion in four years, the Dolphins are shutting down tight end Jordan Cameron for the season. According to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald, the team will be placing the veteran on the injured reserve.

Jordan CameronCameron hasn’t taken the field since late September after having suffered yet another concussion. Reports at the time indicated that the 28-year-old was mulling his NFL future, and the two sides agreed that Cameron wouldn’t take the field until he was 100 percent healthy.

The 28-year-old pass-catcher continues to consider leaving the game, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.

A recent visit to a specialist indicated that the tight end was recovering, and Cameron even started participating in non-contact physical activities. However, it was evident that he was still months away from being fully healthy.

Cameron had a career year in 2013 with the Browns, when he established career-highs in receptions (80), receiving yards (917), and touchdowns (seven). The tight end hasn’t come close to matching that production over the past two-plus seasons, compiling 67 receptions, 870 yards, and six touchdowns in 29 games. The former fourth-rounder signed a two-year, $15MM deal with the Dolphins prior to the 2015 season, and he reworked his contract this past winter.

With the six-year veteran set to hit free agency following this season, Salguero assumes that his tenure with the Dolphins is finished, and the writer even wonders if Cameron may decide to hang up his cleats. In the short term, MarQueis Gray and Dominique Jones will continue to get snaps at tight end for the Dolphins until Dion Sims returns from his concussion. The team could look to promote tight end Thomas Duarte from the practice squad, though that’s entirely my speculation.

Major Roster Changes Looming For Dolphins?

October 14th, 2016 at 7:03pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

At 1-4 with a minus-31 point differential, the Dolphins have been among the NFL’s worst teams this season. There are clearly weaknesses throughout the Dolphins’ roster, and Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes that the team has plenty of players it no longer wants. As a result, executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum, general manager Chris Grier and head coach Adam Gase are likely to oversee a significant makeover during the offseason.

[RELATED: Cameron Wake Won’t Request Trade]

The Dolphins already began moving on from players who aren’t part of the solution earlier this week, cutting offensive linemen Dallas Thomas and Billy Turner on Tuesday. Turner is now with the Ravens, who claimed him on waivers, but Salguero reports that the Dolphins couldn’t find any takers when they shopped him and Thomas.

With Turner and Thomas gone, there are a slew of other Dolphins with iffy futures, according to Salguero. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill and offensive lineman Branden Albert are among those with nebulous statuses beyond this year, though Salguero doesn’t expect Miami to move on from either. Running back Arian Foster, tight end Jordan Cameron and tackle Jermon Bushrod are all impending free agents who are doubtful to return in 2017 (Cameron could retire). Receiver Kenny Stills‘ deal also expires at season’s end, and Salguero notes that he has a fan in Gase, but the Dolphins haven’t been willing to commit a multiyear deal to him yet. Unless that changes prior to free agency, Stills could head elsewhere for a raise.

Mario Williams

Defensively, ends Mario Williams, Jason Jones and Andre Branch, linebackers Jelani Jenkins and Koa Misi, and cornerback Byron Maxwell might be in new uniforms next year. Williams and Maxwell, two high-profile offseason additions, look as though they’ll be one and done in Miami, per Salguero. The two have underwhelmed with the Dolphins, who would save $14MM (compared to $5MM in dead money) by releasing them prior to next season. The only other member of the group who’s signed past 2016 is Misi. However, Misi’s career could be in jeopardy, and releasing him would free up $4.2MM in spending room at the cost of just $578K in dead money next season – the final year of Misi’s contract.

Given that the Dolphins’ season isn’t even halfway over, at least some of these individuals could play their way out of the doghouse over the next 11 games. The Dolphins are currently on track for a sizable house cleaning, though, and with the 4-1 Steelers and 3-2 Bills next on their schedule, they could enter their Week 8 bye at 1-6.

Injury Notes: Cook, Dolphins, Browns, Eagles

September 26th, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jared Cook appears to have avoided a season-ending injury, but the rare Packers free agent looks to be out for at least a game and possibly more following Green Bay’s Week 4 bye, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports. It’s being determined whether Cook will be out through Week 5, or if the former Titans and Rams target will be forced to miss multiple full games.

Cook left Lambeau Field Sunday on crutches and remains in a walking boot. The Packers are off in Week 4 and host the Giants in Week 5, but they will likely do so without their starting tight end’s services. Richard Rodgers will be the next man up for Green Bay.

Here are some more injury-related notes from around the league.

  • Continuing the string of trouble at the tight end position this season, Jordan Cameron suffered a concussion against the Browns and won’t play on Thursday against the Bengals, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reports. This makes four concussions in the past four years for Cameron, who is in his second season with the Dolphins.
  • Gase also labeled Arian Foster as unlikely to return this week, per Beasley. He remains out with a groin injury. Foster sustained a groin tear during his final Texans training camp last summer and underwent surgery for it at the time. Foster missed three games last season due to that malady before going down with the Achilles tear that ended his time in Houston.
  • Browns linebacker Nate Orchard has a high-ankle sprain, which he sustained on the final play of Cleveland’s overtime loss in Miami, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports (on Twitter). Orchard is expected to be out “a while.” Additionally, Tramon Williams suffered an AC joint sprain during the loss, Hue Jackson said Monday. It’s unclear how long the veteran corner will be out.
  • As long as Ryan Mathews is healthy, he will remain the Eagles‘ top running back, per Doug Pederson (via Zach Berman of Philly.com). The problem, as it’s been for much of the running back’s career, stems from the fact the second-year Eagle again might not be healthy. Mathews left Sunday’s game against the Steelers after playing just eight snaps due to a left ankle injury. Mathews struggled with left ankle trouble in training camp as well.
  • The Eagles expect Zach Ertz and Leodis McKelvin to return after the team’s Week 4 bye, Berman reports. Philadelphia’s starting tight end has missed the past two games with a displaced rib, and McKelvin has missed the same amount of time due to a hamstring ailment.
  • Safety Darian Thompson‘s foot injury is not serious and not “the end of the world,” a source tells Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (on Twitter). Thompson will probably be out another week or two before suiting up for the Giants.

AFC Notes: RGIII, J. Cameron, Forte

June 5th, 2016 at 12:11pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at some notes from around the AFC:

  • In response to a reader wondering when Browns head coach Hue Jackson would officially name Robert Griffin III Cleveland’s starting quarterback, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer said that the formal designation would probably come after the preseason games begin. Per Cabot, Jackson wants Griffin to earn the job, and RGIII is getting a strong push from Josh McCown—who looks ready to start tomorrow—and rookie Cody Kessler, who is handling his learning curve nicely.
  • When deciding whether he should accept a paycut this offseason or risk being released, Dolphins TE Jordan Cameron spoke with a number of people, including current Jaguars TE Julius Thomas, as James Walker of ESPN.com writes. Per Cameron, Thomas “called me immediately and said you have to play for [new Dolphins head coach Adam Gase]. I’ve had a lot of conversations about [Gase] and what he can do. It was kind of the things I heard about Coach Gase (that helped make my decision).” Gase was Thomas’ offensive coordinator in Denver, and he is well-known for having success with tight ends. In the end, of course, Cameron agreed to take the paycut.
  • One of the primary reasons Matt Forte signed with the Jets, according to Darryl Slater of NJ.com, is New York’s training room. The 30-year-old back, who has been burdened by a heavy workload in his career, said, “That was one of the reasons for me wanting to come here, because the training room is so good. At this point in your career, health is so important. You’re not as young as you used to be, or recover as fast as you used to. But if you get the right [trainers] in there and work with them, you can turn back the time.”
  • The Jaguars‘ Peyton Thompson has been cut six times by four different teams since he entered the league in 2013, but after making the switch from cornerback to safety, Thompson feels as though this year marks the best chance he has had to make a Week 1 roster, as Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union writes. Thompson appeared in 15 games for Jacksonville last season, and he will compete this year to be a key special-teamer and backup to newly-signed safety Tashaun Gipson. Thompson says, “The amount of special teams I can play and being somebody [the team] can interchange from from cornerback to nickel to safety and know the whole defense no matter where I am, that definitely gives me the upper hand.”
  • Earlier today, we learned that the Dolphins would not be pursuing veteran corners like Leon Hall and Antonio Cromartie at this time.

Dolphins In Lead For Mario Williams

March 8th, 2016 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Dolphins are the “clear front-runners” in the Mario Williams sweepstakes, a source with knowledge of the situation tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. According to Florio, Miami is expected to make a push on Tuesday to get something done with the veteran pass rusher, who doesn’t have to wait until Wednesday to sign. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report adds (via Twitter) that the two sides appear to be nearing a deal.Mario Williams (vertical)

2015 was an ugly season for Williams, who didn’t mesh well with Rex Ryan and the new head coach’s defensive scheme, and was accused of displaying a lack of effort at times. Williams is only a year removed from an All-Pro season in which he piled up 14.5 sacks though, so even though he turned 31 in January, he likely still has something left in the tank.

A Monday report indicated that Williams told teams he would sign right away if he received an offer worth $10MM annually. If the Dolphins are confident about signing him, I’d imagine the team’s proposal will approach that figure — Cole suggests it may be worth in the neighborhood of $8MM per year.

The Dolphins have been very active within the last week or so, creating cap space by restructuring Ndamukong Suh‘s and Jordan Cameron‘s contracts and by cutting Greg Jennings, among other moves. However, the team is also set to add Byron Maxwell‘s salary in a team with the Eagles, and has Olivier Vernon in limbo on a transition tag worth nearly $13MM.

It’s hard to imagine the Dolphins keeping both Vernon and Cameron Wake on the roster a their current prices if the team gets something done with Williams. It remains to be seen whether that might mean removing the transition tag from Vernon or addressing Wake’s contract via restructure or release.

The Giants and Jaguars are among the other teams with reported interest in Williams, though a report this morning suggested New York was a long shot.

Here’s more on the Dolphins:

  • The Dolphins are in conversations with a few veteran free agent guards, including Alex Boone of the 49ers, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jackson observes that Boone has a good relationship with new Dolphins offensive line coach Chris Foerster, who was in San Francisco last season.
  • A source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link) that Jordan Cameron‘s contract restructure with the Dolphins will reduce his 2016 earnings to $6MM, adding no extra years to the end of the deal.
  • It’s becoming increasingly unlikely that free agent running back Lamar Miller will re-sign with the Dolphins, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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