Why Jordan Cameron Could Be Miami Dolphins' Offensive Linchpin

Sometimes, the most important offseason moves end up being the ones that fly the furthest under the radar. That could hold true for tight end Jordan Cameron signing with the Miami Dolphins as a free agent.

Size isn't everything in the NFL, but it is something, and it's something the Dolphins have lacked in their pass-catching skill-position group for years. One of the Dolphins' biggest weaknesses on offense has been in the red zone, where they scored a touchdown on only 51.5 percent of their trips last year, according to TeamRankings.com. 

Adding a 6'5", 249-pounder and former basketball player should help improve their production in the red area, but no one in Miami is resting on their laurels. 

Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor explained his approach to James McKinney of ThePhinsider.com:

"

Let's put it on me. We've put the responsibility on me to evaluate the guys that we have and to use each of them the way they can best be used in the red zone. That's the promise I've made to them. We haven't started working on it in this setting yet, but we worked on it in OSPs, on air, we were at a pretty high completion percentage on air, that's a start. I think that's my responsibility and the coaching staff, to evaluate the guys you have and use them how they should be used.

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Production	Total	In Red zone
Rec.	104	12
Tgts	166	23
Yds	1341	79
Y/R	12.9	6.6
TD	9	7

As for how to use Cameron, it's no mystery. Get him matched up on linebackers that he can beat with quickness and safeties he can beat with size, throw him jump balls and let him use his physical skills to make difficult catches. Even former Dolphins tight end Charles Clay, at 6'3" and 245 pounds, doesn't stack up as a red-zone threat when compared to Cameron. 

Cameron hauled in 11 of 19 throws in his direction for all seven of his scores in 2013. In fact, he was pretty much the only red-zone threat the Cleveland Browns had that season, as they scored 20 red-zone touchdowns as a team in 2013.

Cameron has some nice leaping ability and the physicality to make him difficult to cover in the red zone. 

NFL Game Rewind

In Week 4 of the 2013 season against the Cincinnati Bengals, with 2:18 remaining in the first quarter, Cameron lined up on the perimeter across from a cornerback and ran a fade route toward the back pylon. 

NFL Game Rewind

Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer didn't have to do much here; he just put some loft on the ball and let the jump-ball maestro put together a symphony to highlight his own phenomenal athletic ability. All Cameron had to do was turn, locate the ball, put his hands up and wrap them around the point of the ball. Easy touchdown.

The Dolphins are expecting more of the same, and Cameron is expecting himself to live up to those expectations. 

Cameron shared his outlook with Alain Poupart of MiamiDolphins.com:

"

I played with like 15 quarterbacks in four years, so to me I just catch the ball. I run my route and if he's throwing it to me in my vicinity I've got to catch the ball. That comes with time, getting that familiarity and that chemistry, but I've had a lot of experience with different quarterbacks. When the ball is in the air, make the play. That's my mind-set, but it helps to have kind of trust. It's all about trust with the quarterback. He's gotta know you're going to be at that spot when you're going to be there.

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Cameron's also wasting no time showing off his red-zone ability, according to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald: 

Make no mistake; while Cameron rounds out the Dolphins' options in the red zone, that's not the only dimension he adds to the offense. Cameron has some solid seam-stretching ability thanks to his long speed, having run a 4.59-second 40-yard dash at the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine.

Over the past two years, he was targeted 19 times on passes that traveled 20 yards or more downfield, according to Pro Football Focus, and he caught 10 of them (52.6 percent). There's some evidence that he can do damage downfield, but it will be up to quarterback Ryan Tannehill to hit him when he's open—Tannehill was accurate on only 41 of 117 passes (35 percent) he threw 20 yards or more downfield over the past two seasons. 

The Dolphins could also find creative ways to use him outside the numbers. In 2013, Cameron caught 47 of his passes outside the numbers as opposed to 35 over the middle (between the numbers).

Between his ability to catch passes outside the numbers and to win matchups in the red zone, Cameron bolsters the Dolphins offense in two ways where they've needed serious help over the years. His impact should be felt early and often in Miami. 

Unless otherwise noted, all advanced statistics provided by Pro Football Focus.