Chicago Bears: Will Anthony Miller make fans forget Cameron Meredith?

Will the Chicago Bears regret letting Cameron Meredith walk in the offseason, or will second-round star Anthony Miller be worth losing out on him?

Way back in April when the Chicago Bears allowed restricted free agent Cameron Meredith to leave and sign with the New Orleans Saints, many of us were a bit shocked and more than a bit irritated. We at Da Windy City panned the move ourselves.

Sure, Ryan Pace justified not matching the offer sheet Meredith signed with New Orleans by stating that it was done over injury concerns, which placated a lot of fans. Why invest in a player that might not be himself again?

But for a number of reasons, it seemed as if that didn’t quite add up. In particular, though team doctors expressed doubts that Meredith would be ready for the season and pointed to MCL damage along with the ACL tear he suffered as reasons why, reports were far more optimistic when he first suffered the injury. So why the change in sentiment?

Time and videos of Meredith cutting, running rotes and catching passes in OTAs haven’t negated that doubt. It might not be game-speed with pads on, but that knee looks like it’s healing okay to me.

But you know what? Let’s focus on something good that came out of this. If the Chicago Bears had re-signed Meredith, they probably wouldn’t have traded up into the second round to nab Memphis receiver Anthony Miller. And given how Chicago has taken to him so far, I already can’t imagine the city without him.

Miller has all the makings of a star receiver in this league, from his route-running prowess, athleticism, toughness and pure will to dominate. There’s no reason he can’t immediately step in next to Allen Robinson and contribute hugely as a rookie.

Which begs the question: was letting Meredith walk worth it to get Miller?

Much of this can’t be answered now, as neither one of them as played a real snap in 2018. But even if Meredith goes on to have a big season with the Saints and Miller somewhat underwhelms in 2018, I think the trade-off ultimately works in the Bears’ favor.

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In addition to the uncertainty about Meredith’s knee, Miller likely has greater upside as a player than Meredith. Miller has a bit more quickness to his route-running game, plays with more physicality and also has shown he can turn short plays into splashes with more frequency than anything Meredith showed as yet.

Plus, the Bears would’ve had to pay Meredith $9.6 million over two years to match the Saints’ offer and keep him in town. In Miller, they’ll have a young player with outstanding potential under a cheap rookie deal. From a business investment standpoint, this is probably a no-brainer.

In Miller, the Bears have a fresh player who could end up being Mitch Trubisky‘s favorite target for around a decade. And even if he struggles a bit early, his ability and drive make it highly unlikely that he will fail to be a good NFL player.

Next: Five Bears under the most pressure in 2018

So, as much as I like Meredith, I think the Chicago Bears are in a good spot with Miller going forward. Pace still could’ve handled Meredith’s situation better, and I hope he learns from it. But to his credit, he appears to have made up for it.