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Jordan Cameron disinterest reflects Cleveland Browns issues

By Kevin Parvizi

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Over the past few months, we’ve heard reports about how the Cleveland Browns are not interested in bringing back star tight end Jordan Cameron, presumably over his inability to stay healthy due to constant concussion woes. Even as Josh Gordon heads into another one-year ban after a tumultuous 2014 season, these reports persisted, but it looks like the Cameron-Browns split will come from the other party.

In a beautifully-written, well-sourced, but even more scathing report, CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora reports that Cameron has become so put off by the incompetence of owner Jimmy Haslam that he is the one not interested in continuing his playing career with the Browns.

Haslam’s constant undermining of sneakily-brilliant GM Ray Farmer and a host of excellent coaches has led to a barren cupboard in Cleveland despite some talented players, and it looks like it will cost them Cameron’s services. It’s important to read La Canfora’s piece to check out just how much Haslam has screwed his team in the most Dan Snyderian of ways, but I think Cameron’s reported desire to escape Cleveland speaks volumes to just how dysfunctional this organization is, even if it doesn’t seem obvious at first glance.

Cameron will hit the free agent market knowing that he’ll have to take a one-year, prove-it deal after appearing in just ten games and catching just 24 passes and two touchdowns in a season in which he was supposed to be the focal point of the Browns offense. Andrew Hawkins was the real saving grace for main starter Brian Hoyer with Gordon suspended, as Cameron couldn’t shake off a multitude of injuries after being an 80-catch revelation in 2013.

Since Cameron will head onto the free agent market in a position to make pennies on the dollar of his overall talent, it’s clear to me that the Browns would have given him the best offer. Is there another team out there more desperate to add pass-catching talent to their roster? While the Browns main goal will be to add a new No. 1 receiver to help out their QB next season and ensure that Gordon will be fully replaced, they could also use an uber-athletic TE who can boss the red zone, move the chains, and make big plays on his own (I mean, he did average 17.7 yards per catch last season).

Since the Browns have nearly $50 million in cap space , they have more than enough ammo to lock Cameron up, and it doesn’t make sense for the Browns to be picky about injuries when they literally do not have a more established playmaker on their active roster than Cameron.

But the tight end has seen how quickly top offensive minds like Rob Chudzinski, Norv Turner, and Kyle Shanahan have been pushed aside, and all three of them were, more importantly, TE-friendly. He’s witnessed the dysfunction of the organization first hand, and he knows that he could have had better numbers if the team drafted Teddy Bridgewater or Derek Carr in the first round instead of someone who treated his rookie season like a joke. Johnny Manziel still has hope and checked himself into rehab, but I wonder if Cameron is lamenting what he could have done in his ten apps with Bridgewater at QB.

Dec 28, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Cleveland Browns tight end Jordan Cameron (84) before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Dec 7, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns tight end Jordan Cameron (84) makes a diving catch during the first quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

It’s easy to get into all of these “What ifs?”, but one of the worst kept secrets of the 2014 offseason was the fact that Farmer and the front office wanted Bridgewater or Carr, whereas Haslam made his executive decision on the strength of his brilliant football acumen as a legit talent evaluator (obvious sarcasm, for those who require translation) to draft Manziel.

The Cleveland Browns have probably leaked out reports about how they don’t want Jordan Cameron back or whatever, but I don’t buy it. La Canfora’s report that Cameron isn’t interesting in returning and the reports that the Browns don’t want him obviously aren’t mutually exclusive items, but I find it hard to believe that the Browns wouldn’t want to keep the most talented skill position player on their roster.

Aside from injury woes, Cameron is a beast who caught 80 passes despite poor QB play, and he is one of the most athletic players in the game and one of the best TEs at stretching the seam. He’s also affordable due to those injuries, so he wouldn’t take away the Browns ability to go after a top-notch wide receiver with several options potentially on the table this offseason.

It doesn’t make sense for the Browns to subtract when they have so little, but it does make sense for Cameron to bolt when he’s been touched by Haslam’s incompetence in every way possible (poor QB play, top coaches getting fired). Remember, he was targeted just 4.2 times per game despite making big plays when he was thrown at, and, per Pro Football Focus, 51.5% of his snaps were as a blocker when that clearly isn’t his strength.

So yeah, it doesn’t sound like Cameron is a guy who should want to come back, so I don’t blame him for wanting to move to greener pastures with a better team, better QB, and, most importantly, better ownership.

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