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Since the start of the new league business year, the Miami Dolphins have been wheeling and dealing more than a sleazy sales manager at a used car lot. Many of those moves were made on the offensive side of the ball where over the past few seasons the Dolphins’ ability to score has been quite offensive.
Miami has moved on from familiar players like Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson and Daniel Thomas. The new names on the lips of coaches and fans at the OTAs are Kenny Stills, Greg Jennings, DeVante Parker and Jay Ajayi. Yet, the one name everyone should learn quickly is Jordan Cameron.
Cameron is not the defensive star for the New Orleans Saints (that’s Cameron Jordan). He is the man who has taken over the starting tight end position for the Dolphins, and his arrival to the Davie, Fla. practice facility couldn’t have come soon enough. Once former starting tight end Charles Clay signed a ridiculously rich contract with the rival Buffalo Bills back in March, Cameron became the man to act as Ryan Tannehill’s safety net. Providing the Miami quarterback someone to throw to in a pinch is the least of what the ex-USC Trojans‘ starter brings to the offensive table, however.
It seems like forever since Miami has had a tight end as athletic as Cameron. Quite frankly, the Dolphins haven’t had this kind of threat at tight end since the days of Randy McMichael. Clay had one stellar season on South Beach while the rest of his career was underwhelming due to either performance or injury. For every spectacular catch and run Clay came up with, it seemed a highlight from the old “hand of Clay” days soon followed.
Cameron has had his share of injuries too as a member of the Cleveland Browns mostly due to concussions. If the Dolphins didn’t sign Cameron it would have been their front office group’s heads that collectively needed examined. Cameron can get down the field faster than any linebacker trying to cover him. Thanks to his sensational size, he can also out-muscle any safety attempting to roll over to him. One of the easiest throws for a quarterback to make is hitting a wide-open receiver streaking down the seam. When that receiver just happens to be your tight end, your offense can now be considered potent. Just ask Tom Brady how beautiful it is to have a weapon like Rob Gronkowski galloping gazelle-like through the middle of the gridiron.
Another place where Gronk is unstoppable is in the red zone. That is an area where Cameron should bail out Tannehill too. Clay was really a fullback in college so he didn’t have the height of most NFL tight ends. Cameron is tall enough to pin down a defensive back and to also be seen in the back of the end zone. Miami’s biggest failures last year happened inside the opponent’s 10-yard line, because there wasn’t a powerful running back to bully his way across the goal line nor a tangible target to toss a ball toward. Ajayi should be able to take care of the first part of that equation, while Cameron crosses off No. 2.
A lot of experts criticize Tannehill for not being able to throw the ball deep. That was one reason why Wallace fit in on the Dolphins like a square peg in a round hole. With defenses having to account for Cameron on every passing play, it will open up more one on one opportunities for newcomer Stills to saunter into the secondary. It will also allow catch machine Jarvis Landry more room to maneuver into open spaces. Perhaps that will help make Tannehill more consistent throwing the ball downfield.
The excitement level for the Dolphins’ offense in 2015 is comparable to what the Chicago Bulls felt after drafting a certain guard from North Carolina in 1984. If Cameron makes Miami’s offense playoff caliber, maybe Florida kids will trade in their retro sneakers for a different type of Air Jordan.
