WIDE ANGLE
After Meredith’s exit, drafting awide receiver could be a top priority for Bears
Part 7 of a 10- part series previewing the NFL Draft and analyzing the Bears’ needs.
The Bears’ signing of free- agent wideout wwyc $ 42 Allen million Robinson contract to a almost threeyear, c certainly eliminated wide receiver a as a first- round target in this year’s ddt draft if they stay at No. 8. But after t losing Cam Meredith in free a ass agency, wide receiver er likely likely is still a priority in the he draft, draft, a and probably a high one. one.
The hole created d by by the the lo loss of Meredith is debatable. debatable. The former undrafted fted free agent from St. Joseph ph a and Illinois State wwb2 was the Bears’ best receiver in 2 2016 when he had 668 66 receptions for 88t 888 yards and four touchdowns.
But he suffered a t torn ACL and MCL in in his left knee in n t the 2017 preseason n and even Meredith h c couldn’t commit to wwt when he would return urn t to full participation.
If general manager ager Ryan Ryan P Pace was convinced that Mery Meredith would be the same receiver he was when he was injured, it’s likely hewould have made the simple move to keep him— the second- round free agent tender that would have guaranteed Meredith $ 2.9 million in 2018. Instead he gave him the same- round tender at $ 1.9 million — which gave other teams a chance to sign Meredith without giving compensation to the Bears. The Saints bit on that, signing Meredith to a two- year, $ 10 million contract that the Bears did not match. Knowing how easily he could have kept Meredith ( the additional $ 1 million for the second- round tender is less than six- tenths of one percent of the salary cap), Pace obviously has concerns about just how productive producti Meredith can be in Matt Nagy Nagy’s offense coming off the injury. The Bears figure to have other avenues to replace Meredith’s 2016 production produ in Nagy’s offense. fense. In the Chiefs’ offense fen last year, wide receivers r accounted for 47.7 percent of the targets, 45.5 percent of the receptions, c 52.8 percent ce of the receiving ya yards and 46.2 percent of the touchdowns. It’s unlikely Meredith would wou get the 97 targets gets he got in 2016 to get those 66 receptions and 888 yards. The T Bears also sigT signed wide receivers Taylor Gabriel and
Bennie Fowler in free agency and re- signed Josh Bellamy. Kevin White is a wild card at this point — found- money if he produces anything after three injury- marred seasons. Tanner Gentry was a training- camp hit who spent most of the regular season on the practice squad.
The Bears figure to fortify that unit in the draft, perhaps in the second or third round, rather than a sixthor seventhround long shot. There’s gold to be mined there— the Steelers’ JuJu SmithSchuster ( second round), the Rams’ Cooper Kupp ( third round) in 2017; the Giants’ Sterling Shepard and the Saints’ Michael Thomas ( second round) in 2016; the Seahawks Tyler Lockett ( third round) in 2015; the Packers’ Devante Adams ( second round) in 2014; the Chargers’ Keenan Allen ( third round) in 2014.
It’s worth noting that each one of those receivers had the benefit of a quality quarterback: Ben Roethlisberger, Jared Goff, Eli Manning, Drew Brees, RussellWilson, Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers. Everything about the Bears always seems to come back to Mitch Trubisky.