Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Oct. 26, 2014

Cleveland Browns tight end Jordan Cameron rubs his head on the sidelines after suffering a concussion against the Oakland Raiders during the second quarter. (Joshua Gunter / The Plain Dealer)

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns coach Mike Pettine admitted today he's not 100% confident Jordan Cameron will return this season from his concussion, his third in less than two years.

"You don't know,'' said Pettine. "It's a tricky thing. You can have a guy be without symptoms for a day or two, then it comes back. It's obviously a touchy subject and I defer very much to (trainer Joe Sheehan) and the medical staff as far as where a guy is. It's clear that some will take longer than others.''

Cameron has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Texans, his third straight absence with the concussion. He also missed the Saints game in week two with a sprained shoulder.

In the final year of his rookie contract, Cameron has been limited to 13 catches for 250 yards and a touchdown in his six games. It's a far cry from his Pro Bowl season of 2013, when he caught 80 passes for 917 yards and seven TDs in Rob Chudzinski's pass-oriented offense.



Cameron suffered the concussion Oct. 26th against Oakland when safety Brandian Ross struck him in the back of the neck with his helmet. Ross was fined $22,050 for the illegal hit, and Cameron -- who held on for the 21-yard catch that led to a field goal in the 23-13 victory -- hasn't been on the practice field since. In fact, he's only been seen in the locker room briefly one one occasion since then.

"Sometimes it's the ones you think it would be bad that aren't and the ones that don't look like much, just a glancing blow, and they end up being bad, so it's really hard to say,'' said Pettine.

Cameron sat out the second-last game of last season with a concussion and the final two games of 2012 season. Pettine acknowledged that multiple concussions are a concern and that he plans to talk to Cameron about his situation when he's cleared to return.

"I was going to wait until he got back just to kind of see where he is, but I know it's frustrating for him because he wants to be out there,'' said Pettine. "At the same time, you want to make sure that it's right. You never want to rush it back out there, especially given the history. That's why it's been one where we're just going onto the assumption that we're not going to have him. When we do get him back that'll be great, but it's nothing where we want him to feel pressure – 'Hey, I need to get back out there.'"

Browns safety Tashaun Gipson, who is questionable for the Texans with his concussion, understands what Cameron is going through.

"The whole concussion protocol in itself is a bit draining at times and for a guy that's competitive like Jordan Cameron, who's one of the best tight ends in the National Football League, he knows he can help this team,'' said Gipson. "I'm pretty sure he wants to get back out there, man. It's more so frustrating than anything and being able to speak on the situation because I'm going through it right now, it's just tough.''

If Cameron is cleared next week for the Falcons game, it will be the first time he and Josh Gordon -- both Pro Bowlers last year -- will be on the field together since last season.

But it remains to be seen if Cameron will be back for the big event.