Chicago Bears’ Cameron Meredith a standout among wide receivers
In a season of failures among the Chicago Bears wide receivers, Cameron Meredith proved to be among one of the successes.
The Chicago Bears suffered through a lot of struggles in 2016. They certainly earned their 3-13 record. In particular, the wide receiver corps suffered through injuries, suspension, and dropped passes.
In this offseason, the Bears have some decisions to make with their receivers. Alshon Jeffery is due to be a free agent. Ryan Pace and company need to decide if handing over a boatload of money to him is a good investment. Eddie Royal spent almost as much time in the trainer’s room as he did on the field. Kevin White still hasn’t left that same room. And let’s not talk about Marquess Wilson, who had a lot of promise, but played like the seventh-round pick he was.
There was one receiver, however, who played well. That player was Cameron Meredith.
Meredith had 66 catches for 888 yards and 4 touchdowns. The hometown kid (he went to St. Joseph’s at Westchester and Illinois State) showed the coaches he is someone they and whoever is the quarterback can depend on in a key situation.
“Where Cam has made the biggest jump is he has become very consistent,” offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. “He has become reliable and the quarterbacks trust him.”
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Added head coach John Fox: “I like his growth pattern and where he’s going and that will catapult him to next season as well.”
The attention on Meredith extends nationally.
Pro Football Focus released their list of the best route-runners in the NFL, and Meredith topped the list of double moves:
"Best double move: Cameron Meredith, Chicago BearsCameron Meredith scored four touchdowns in 2016, two on double moves. Meredith caught all five of his targets for 131 yards and two touchdowns. He had a perfect receiver rating of 158.3 and averaged 26.2 yards per catch. He caught 37 of the 49 passes thrown to him when running just the first aspect of the route i.e. just the slant, not the slant and go, which lured defenders into sitting on the first move, allowing Meredith to explode by them."
Meredith also helps the Bears in where he lines up. He can take the outside or move into the slot. He is also an excellent blocker. In addition, if you like trick plays, he can throw a pass. He was a quarterback at Illinois State before moving to receiver.
Next: Should Bears go after Sheldon Richardson?
With the other receivers going down, he got a chance to show what he could do and he came through. Now he looks to be an important part of the offense in 2017.