While the Cleveland Brownspatiently await word on Josh Gordon's looming suspension, the team must ponder the reality of life -- or, at least, a season -- without their most dangerous pass-catcher.
A ban for the wide receiver would instantly shift attention to Jordan Cameron, who scored well on Around the League's preseason tight end rankings and was "impossible to cover in the spring," according to the team's official website.
Offseason practices don't tell us much, but Cameron, 25, stood out with "improved foot work and explosion in the open field," per the team report. The fourth-year target burst onto the scene last season with 80 grabs for 917 yards and seven touchdowns in Norv Turner's tight end-friendly attack. Unlike Turner, new coordinator Kyle Shanahan doesn't plan to lead the league in pass attempts, but Cameron is a solid bet for another monster season.
With the versatile tight end entering his walk year, the Browns would "love" to get him extended before the season, Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer wrote Sunday. With agent Tom Condon guiding the ship, don't expect a new deal to happen until the battle over Jimmy Graham's franchise tag designation with the New Orleans Saints is finalized.
The ruling on whether or not Graham deserves to be seen as a wide receiver -- not a tight end -- will directly impact Cameron's second contract, especially if Cleveland's young Pro Bowl tight end dials up numbers anywhere close to last year's coming-out party.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" ranks the league's top tight ends and debates Andrew Luck vs. Cam Newton.