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Jordan Cameron

AFC North Notes: Manziel, Browns, J. Jones

February 3rd, 2015 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Experts in the field say that a rehab program may not be effective, particularly for young people, if they’re not willing to go on their own, but that’s not the case for Johnny Manziel, who voluntarily entered treatment last Wednesday, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Based on Manziel’s willingness to seek help, friends and family of the Browns quarterback are confident that he’ll take it seriously and do the work needed to get well, according to Cabot.

While we wait for updates on Manziel and wish him the best, let’s check in on a few other items from out of the AFC North….

  • Responding to tweets from his followers about the likelihood of the Browns retaining a pair of their notable free agents, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com put the odds of Brian Hoyer‘s return at 51%, but gave tight end Jordan Cameron just a 1% chance to re-sign (Twitter links).
  • Although Ben Tate was a disappointment, rookies Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West had solid rookie seasons for the Browns in 2014. Still, Pat McManamon of ESPN.com thinks running back is a position the team ought to address in the offseason, perhaps by bringing in a veteran to complement the youngsters.
  • Within his look at 10 of the most noteworthy NFL storylines to watch this offseason, ESPN.com’s Mike Sando (Insider link) suggests keeping an eye on the Ravens‘ offense and the Steelers‘ defense, after the two rivals lost coordinators Gary Kubiak and Dick LeBeau, respectively.
  • Wide receiver Jacoby Jones may be a luxury rather than a necessity for the Ravens, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, who explains why the club may consider cutting one of the most productive kick returners in football this winter.

AFC Mailbags: Chiefs, Jaguars, Ravens, Bengals

January 31st, 2015 at 10:00am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday morning, and ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags to answer questions from the readers. Let’s check out some notes from the AFC…

  • Adam Teicher believes Bryan Bulaga would make sense for the Chiefs, but he cautions that the team may need to back out if the bidding gets too high. As an alternative, the writer suggests the team could re-sign Ryan Harris to a much cheaper deal.
  • The Jaguars need to target a veteran wideout in free agency, writes Michael DiRocco. The teams young core of receivers, including Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee, played well in 2014, but the writer believes quarterback Blake Bortles would benefit from having a more seasoned target.
  • Jamison Hensley says there needs to be a “compromise” between the Ravens and cornerback Lardarius Webb. The organization won’t be able to pay the 29-year-old the $8MM he’d owed in 2015, and the team also wouldn’t have much of an incentive to cutting the player. Hensley notes that Webb could play “hardball” with the Ravens, but the writer believes they’ll ultimately restructure the contract.
  • Focusing on wide receivers, Hensley believes the Ravens best course would be re-signing Torrey Smith and drafting a wideout in the first two rounds. For running backs, the writer opines that Justin Forsett may be too pricey for the team. Instead, Hensley suggests former first-rounders Mark Ingram, Darren McFadden and Ryan Mathews as options.
  • The Bengals top concerns this offseason should be re-signing offensive guard Clint Boling and linebacker Rey Maualuga, according to Coley Harvey. Outside of the organization, the writer suggests the team could target Browns tight end Jordan Cameron.

La Canfora’s Latest: Smith, Trestman, London

November 2nd, 2014 at 9:31am CST by Dallas Robinson

As he does most every Sunday, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com has provided several interesting nuggets in a series of articles before today’s slate of games. Let’s dive right in…

  • Falcons head coach Mike Smith is not expected to return in 2015, writes La Canfora, who notes that owner Arthur Blank is expected to target a high-profile name to take Smith’s place. La Canfora speculates that Jon Gruden and Jim Harbaugh could both be candidates for the Atlanta job, and while it’s just my speculation, it’s fair to wonder if Blank would try to lure ex-Steelers coach Bill Cowher away from his broadcasting gig.
  • After the Bears suffered an embarrassing loss to the Patriots last week, some in the organization believed head coach Marc Trestman’s job was in jeopardy. Bears ownership eventually stated a vote of confidence in Trestman, but sources tell La Canfora that the Chicago locker room is devoid of leadership. Additionally, general manager Phil Emery’s roster construction, particularly the decision to extend Jay Cutler at an exorbitant price, has come under fire around the league.
  • There’s no truth to a recent report that the NFL wants to play five games in London in 2015, according to La Canfora. However, the league is confident it can schedule games in London on consecutive weekends next year. Last week’s 9:30am EST kickoff was well-received in the league offices, meaning such early start times could be seen again in 2015 (Twitter link).
  • The NFL has scheduled a special meeting for its stadium and fiance committees for later this month. Relocating a team to Los Angeles isn’t officially on the docket, but sources tell La Canfora that the matter is expected to be discussed.
  • Bills receiver Sammy Watkins has been steadily improving in 2014, and mere rookie progression might not be the only reason. Watkins, the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft, was playing through broken ribs during the early portion of the season.
  • Browns tight end Jordan Cameron will likely miss the next two games with a concussion, and sources tell La Canfora that because this Cameron’s third concussion, both his short- and long-term future are uncertain.

Extra Points: Bradshaw, Brown, Cameron, Smith

October 29th, 2014 at 11:16pm CST by Rob DiRe

Colts‘ running back Ahmad Bradshaw is in his second season with the team, but still feels the pain after being released from the Giants after the 2012 season, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. “It didn’t take me long to get over it,” said Bradshaw. “But it hurt me because I felt that was my family, that I was a big part of that time and I still felt I had a lot of football left.” Bradshaw, along with Hakeem Nicks, will return to MetLife Stadium for the first time since leaving the team.

  • The NFL has lifted the suspension of another former Giant, free agent running back Andre Brown, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Brown received an eight-game ban prior to the season, so even though he hasn’t been on a roster since then, he has been reinstated after eight weeks.
  • The Browns are planning to be without star tight end Jordan Cameron for a while, writes Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. With three concussions in a two-year span, the team expects him to miss at least two games.
  • Jets‘ quarterback Geno Smith might have lost his starting job, but he will not be content being regulated to the bench permanently, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. “I don’t think this is the last of me playing,” Smith said. Cimini writes that the best way to salvage the season would be to salvage Smith.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com wrote that while Jeremy Maclin has already proven to teams he is worth a big contract in free agency, there are a number of players who need a strong second half to justify a high level deal. Among the players at the top of that list are Ravens‘ receiver Torrey Smith, 49ers‘ receiver Michael Crabtree, and Giants‘ defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Extra Points: QB Deals, NFLPA, Jordan Cameron

October 24th, 2014 at 10:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

In an excellent piece, Bill Barnwell of Grantland places each of the league’s 32 starting quarterbacks into six different buckets based on their contracts, separating, for example, the “prove-it” extensions signed by Colin Kaepernick and Andy Dalton, the large-bonus deals inked by the likes of Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers, and the marginal pacts that employ Brian Hoyer, Carson Palmer, and other mid-tier options. Perhaps most interestingly, Barnwell dives into the soon-to-be expiring rookie contracts of the quarterbacks from the 2011-12 drafts, and projects that Andrew Luck will eventually sign a mega-extension that surpasses the length and value of Calvin Johnson‘s eight-year, $160MM deal, which contained $60MM in guarantees. The entire piece is extremely thoughtful and well worth a full read.

  • In a memo to NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, union special counsel Teri Patterson argued that the league’s domestic violence program is severely flawed, and complained that it views all players as “perpetrators.” Patterson also outlined ten more concerns with the program, which is set to be implemented on Monday, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Brian McCarthy, an NFL spokesman, said Patterson’s views couldn’t “be further from the truth.”
  • Browns tight end Jordan Cameron will enter free agency in the offseason, and though he’s off to a subpar start, he isn’t worried about his statistics. “People put so much stock into numbers,” Cameron told Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal. “You can get caught up in that and really go, ‘Oh, this guy has this. He has that. Why am I not up there?’ We all run different systems. We’re asked to do different things. So that’s just the way it is.” The 26-year-old has just ten receptions, and has graded as a very poor blocker per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). In my estimation, Cameron could be the ideal candidate for a franchise tag in 2015. The TE franchise figure is typically lower than that of any position outside of kicker/punter, meaning Cleveland could retain Cameron relatively cheaply for the short-term and further evaluate the possibility of extending him.
  • A federal judge has put a hold on legalized betting in New Jersey after complaints from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and NCAA, writes David Porter of the Associated Press. Governor Chris Christie effectively allowed gambling at the state’s racetracks and casinos through a law signed last week, but the major sports leagues argue that they would be “irreparably harmed” by the law. The issue will be decided in a courtroom, rather than through a law, per Porter.

More Harvin Notes: Cameron, Ryan, Wilson

October 19th, 2014 at 9:14am CST by Rory Parks

More and more interesting storylines continue to arise from the Percy Harvin trade, including a big name player that could have been shipped off to Seattle in return for the explosive wideout. Let’s have a look:

  • We heard several days ago that the Browns, Buccaneers, and Bengals were most interested in a Harvin deal, but the Colts and Broncos were apparently also interested, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Per Rapoport, the Jets, Browns, Bucs, Broncos, and Colts had the best offers.
  • The Seahawks are on the lookout for tight ends, and one of the names that was floated in a possible Harvin deal was Browns TE Jordan Cameron, tweets Rapoport.
  • As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reiterates, the Harvin deal could end up being a very short-term move for the Jets. Since Harvin’s base salary for 2015 is $10MM, the Jets may choose to cut or trade him in the offseason. That decision, Florio writes, will “hinge on whether [head coach Rex] Ryan remains as the coach, whether a new coach would want Harvin, and whether Harvin will accept less than $10 million next year to stay with the Jets.”
  • Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes that Harvin’s poor fit in the Seahawks‘ locker room serves as a reminder as to why “some teams shy away from investing big in players until they’ve spent time with them through the draft-and-develop process.”
  • Dave Boling of the News Tribune wonders if the Seahawks have sent a message to the rest of the team by dealing Harvin.
  • Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that the deal heated up Friday morning, after the Jets‘ loss to the Patriots.
  • Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News believes that the Jets dealt for Harvin to help Geno Smith, not Rex Ryan.
  • Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes that the Vikings have once again been vindicated for the original deal that sent Harvin to Seattle.
  • In a pair of articles, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora writes that although many Seahawks players like Harvin, his poor relationship with Russell Wilson threatened to divide the locker room, and La Canfora also wonders if this deal will signal Jets‘ owner Woody Johnson‘s return to his high-spending ways.

Jordan Cameron Likely To Play Out Contract

September 11th, 2014 at 7:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Back in August, Jordan Cameron was upbeat about the possibility of quickly working out a new deal with the Browns. Now, league sources tell Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer that Cameron will most likely play out his contract this season.

Cameron, who might be out of action this Sunday against the Saints with a sprained shoulder, hauled in 80 catches for 917 yards and 7 touchdowns last season. If he can come near those numbers this season, he’ll have a compelling case for a hefty contract in 2015 and beyond. If Cleveland can’t sign him to a new deal, they’ll likely use the franchise tag to retain him for the coming year. The franchise number for tight ends in 2014 is $7.035MM.

Looking ahead, Cabot raises the possibility that Cameron could follow in Jimmy Graham‘s footsteps and try and claim that he is actually a wide receiver. Cameron certainly sees a wide receiver’s number of targets in the Browns offense and in the wake of Graham’s battle, he scrubbed the term “tight end” from his Twitter bio. The “Pro Bowl pass catcher for the Browns” could wage that battle next offseason, though the precedent of the Graham ruling could hurt his chances.

AFC North Notes: Tate, Jones, Cameron, Hoyer

August 11th, 2014 at 8:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Wide receiver Brandon Tate is entering his fourth season with the Bengals, but he understand that he is not a shoo-in for a spot on the final roster. After all, he hasn’t provided much offensively for the team, compiling 217 yards and one touchdown in three seasons. He’s made the majority of his impact on special teams, but he’s now battling younger players who could contribute in the return game and in the passing game.

Having been in the league for five seasons, Tate knows that competition is just part of the job. Via ESPN.com’s Coley Harvey…

“We’ve got a new O-coordinator (Hugh Jackson) and the one thing he stressed is that everything is open,” Tate said. “He doesn’t want nobody to be comfortable.”

Special teams coach Darrin Simmons agreed with the sentiment…

“That’s what you always try to create in training camp. You try to create competition,” Simmons said. “Everybody should feel heat because there’s always somebody right behind you nipping at your tail.”

Still, the coaches are confident that Tate can rise above the rest…

“He’s got a lot of fight this camp; there’s no doubt about it,” receivers coach James Urban said. “But I’ve always felt that way with him. Brandon is a proud man. So he knows if he has any sense of feeling that he’s fighting for a job, then he’s going to come out there every day and fight for his job.” 

Let’s check out some more notes from the AFC North…

  • We learned earlier today that Bengals receiver Marvin Jones will miss “a few weeks.” Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that the team is hoping Jones can return following their bye week, which would be against the Patriots on October 5th.
  • Browns tight end Jordan Cameron indicated to August Fagerstrom of the Akron Beacon Journal that extension talks are going well. “Yeah, it’s positive,” Cameron said. “The whole process has been positive. I’ll leave it at that. It’s ongoing and it’s going well.”
  • While there may be a lot of hype surrounding Browns rookie Johnny Manziel, quarterback Brian Hoyer made it clear that the starting gig belongs to the veteran. “To me, this is my team until someone else tells me otherwise,” Hoyer told Vic Carucci of ClevelandBrowns.com.

AFC Notes: Jones, Texans, Raiders, Browns

August 11th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bengals will be without wide receiver Marvin Jones for at least “a few weeks,” according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Jones broke his foot and had a pin put in his fifth metatarsal. The timetable for Jones’ return isn’t clear yet, but Hobson suggests (via Twitter) that placing him on the short-term IR isn’t entirely out of the question — I doubt the Bengals make that move, but we probably shouldn’t expect to see the wideout back on the field by the time Cincinnati’s regular season gets underway.

Here’s more from across the AFC:

  • The Texans worked out veteran running backs Ronnie Brown, Brian Leonard, and William Powell today, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). None of the three were immediately signed by the club.
  • While a move to San Antonio by the Raiders already seemed very unlikely, a new report may further reduce Mark Davis‘ interest in South Texas. According to Tom Orsborn and Josh Baugh of the San Antonio Express-News, the Spurs’ ownership group would want a controlling interest in any NFL franchise that moved to San Antonio.
  • Only about a week after he was claimed off waivers from Seattle by the Browns, offensive lineman Michael Bowie suffered a shoulder injury that may sideline him for the season. Head coach Mike Pettine says no decision has been made yet, though it’s looking like Bowie will be out for the year, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.
  • Ulrich was also among the reporters who spoke to Jordan Cameron today, and the tight end said talks with the Browns on a contract extension have been ongoing and positive. Cameron is hopeful that something can be worked out in time for the regular season (Twitter link).
  • Although they auditioned a few veteran quarterbacks today, it seems the Dolphins wanted a look at those players just in case they need one down the road, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, adding that the club doesn’t necessarily need to bring one aboard right now (Twitter link).
  • After rewarding him in the offseason with a lucrative four-year contract extension, the Colts are hoping for elite play out of cornerback Vontae Davis in 2014 and beyond, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.

Browns Notes: Hoyer, Cameron, Farmer, WRs

July 29th, 2014 at 10:52am CST by Luke Adams

Jason La Canfora’s latest dispatch for CBSSports.com as he tours various training camps comes from out of Berea, Ohio, after his trip to Browns camp. Leading off his column, La Canfora explores the competition between Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel, writing that Hoyer has surprisingly looked faster and more nimble than the highly-touted rookie. While Manziel still has time to make up ground, everything that La Canfora has seen and heard so far suggests to him that Hoyer should keep his job as the starter heading into the regular season.

Let’s dive into the rest of La Canfora’s piece and round up the highlights….

  • There have been extension talks between Jordan Cameron and the Browns, but the two sides aren’t close to anything. La Canfora hears that the Browns’ offers were in the $5-6MM per year range, so it’s possible Kyle Rudolph signing a deal worth about $7MM annually with the Vikings will help boost the team’s offer and accelerate discussions. According to La Canfora, Cameron admitted that he’d had a look at the numbers on Rudolph’s deal.
  • La Canfora praised general manager Ray Farmer, who has installed a diverse collection of front office executives around him since being promoted to GM earlier this year. “We definitely made some changes,” Farmer said. “I think we have a good mix now. We added some folks – older guys who have a depth of experience – and guys that have a lot of history in this league. Those guys will be beneficial, as well as the young guys who are eager to grow and learn. So we are in a position where we can share ideas and learn together and hopefully improve the Browns.”
  • Expect the Browns to be as active as any team exploring wide receiving options on the waiver wire this years, according to La Canfora, who adds that he wouldn’t be surprised if the team pursues Montreal Alouettes standout Duron Carter (the son of Cris Carter) once the CFL season is complete.
  • In La Canfora’s view, the battle in the backfield between free agent signee Ben Tate and rookie third-rounder Terrance West will be much more competitive than the QB competition. If West continues to make strides in pass protection, he has the ability to make an impact immediately.
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