Several Chicago Bears fans are still upset about the loss of Alshon Jeffery. It’s easy to understand why. He was the first drafted wide receiver by the franchise to reach a Pro Bowl in over a decade. One of just two in the entire Super Bowl era. That’s significant. How in the world can this team justify letting a player with that sort of credibility walk? The simple answer is money. An understated one? Cameron Meredith.
It’s well-known at this point that Jeffery wanted to get paid among the top five or six receivers in the league. A price that the Bears didn’t feel he was worth. Not after missing 11 games between 2015 and 2016, posting under 900 yards each time. Top receivers are far more reliable and productive than that. Why throw too much money at Jeffery when it appears Meredith is an ascending talent?
The Cameron Meredith pro comparison is too sweet
Count Bears GM Ryan Pace among the believers. Not only in who Meredith is as a player, but also who he can become in the near future. There is a growing confidence that the 24-year old former undrafted free agent is set for takeoff in 2017. Not just as a solid pass target but perhaps even a true go-to guy for new quarterback Mike Glennon.
Pace talked about him at the annual NFL owners meetings in Arizona. During which he made a comparison to another former pro. Someone who garner quite a reputation around the league.
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“I’m excited about Cam. I just see him getting better and better, no different than we talked about Marcus Cooper,” Pace said. “Cam’s a guy with a lot of upside, the path that he took, and just to see him mature over the past couple of years. I hate to make comparisons but I felt I saw this happen with (Marques) Colston a little bit, and Cam just has a great attitude right now, is getting better. I just love his skill set, love his professionalism, and I think we’re going to see him ascend.”
Indeed the career trajectory is remarkably similar. Colston was a little-known seventh round pick out of Hofstra in 2006. Before anybody realized what was happening, the 6’4″ kid from Pennsylvania posted 1,000-yard seasons in six of his first seven years. He wasn’t the flashiest target for Drew Brees on the Saints’ rise to a Super Bowl championship. He was just the best and most reliable.
Meredith does exhibit a similar game. He’s big (6’3″) and not blazing fast but faster than people realize. Where he really makes his money, like with Colston, is his rapidly improving tree of routes. Combine size with good speed and an understanding of how to set up defensive backs with crisp route running? That has the makings of a truly special player. To say nothing of the fact that Meredith plays with a lot more edge and nasty than people give him credit for.
In 14 games last season, Meredith came out of nowhere to catch 66 passes for 888 yards and four touchdowns. All three numbers were better than Jeffery. The fact Meredith did it with three different quarterbacks throwing him the ball makes it all the more impressive. With Jeffery gone and opponents focused on Jordan Howard, the odds are stacking up that 2017 will end up being a breakout campaign for the former Illinois State Redbird.
