The third week of the NFL preseason has not been kind to wide receivers.
Just two days after Julian Edelman‘s season came to a premature end with a torn ACL, the same unfortunate injury likely befell Cameron Meredith of the Chicago Bears. Meredith suffered the injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.
#Bears WR Cameron Meredith is believed to have torn his ACL, per Pam Oliver on the Fox broadcast. Likely had additional damage, too. Too bad
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 27, 2017
Chicago Bears Wide Receiver Cameron Meredith Likely Done for Year
FOX Sports sideline reporter Pam Oliver reported after halftime that the team feared the worst regarding Meredith’s knee. Bears head coach John Fox later confirmed to the media after the game that Chicago is assuming his season is done before it began.
It’s a huge setback to a receiving corps that underwent significant change in the off-season. The team said goodbye to Alshon Jeffery who spent the first five seasons of his career in Chicago but signed with the Philadelphia Eagles on March 9th. But they also added Markus Wheaton, Kendall Wright and Victor Cruz in free agency.
Meredith enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2016, his second in the league. The undrafted free agent out of Illinois State registered a team-leading 888 receiving yards. He also added four touchdown grabs which was tied with tight end Zach Miller for most on the team.
Among the players who need to step up in Meredith’s absence is Kevin White. The Bears picked him seventh overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, but injuries have limited him to four games played in the two seasons since. He missed the entirety of his rookie season due to surgery on a stress fracture in his tibia. Last year, Chicago placed him on injured reserve after he fractured his fibula in the same leg on October 2nd.
Chicago’s preseason concludes Thursday when they welcome the Cleveland Browns to Soldier Field. Their regular season opener is a tough one as they host the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons on September 10th (noon CT, FOX).
