Anyone, absolutely anyone will be the Chicago Bears’ No. 1 receiver this year, besides Alshon Jeffery, so it seems. After weeks of feeding Kevin White to no results, it was Cameron Meredith’s turn to be the target hog for the Bears while Jeffery spent another Sunday throwing his hands up in the same confusion seeping through every corner of the football world. To his credit, Meredith responded in a big way, making the weeks of trying to force the issue with Kevin White look all the more dubious.
Meredith led the Bears in targets in Week 5 and eclipsed 100 yards receiving in relief duties after White went to Injured Reserve. He’s just the second Bears pass-catcher to go over the century mark through the air this season, after Jeffery did it in a Week 1 game that, coincidentally, feels like it took place a century ago.
While these seemingly random games pop up from wide receivers when called upon after injuries all the time. The question for us is whether there’s any hope for sustained success with this player. There are a few marks within Meredith’s Reception Perception evaluation from that Week 5 meeting with the Colts that might help in pinpointing exactly what the Bears might have on their hands.
Meredith is a fine athlete at the wide receiver position. Standing a 6’3 and over 200 pounds, Meredith ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 and 4.45 seconds coming out of school. He also posted both a 39-inch vertical jump and 10-foot-7 broad jump with a stellar three-cone drill time of 6.76 seconds. That athleticism was on display in his ability to naturally separate from the Colts defensive backs.
(SRVC denotes success rate versus coverage)
In his first glimpse of major playing time and subsequent involvement at the NFL level, Meredith scored just above the NFL average in both success rate vs. man (66.7) and zone (72.7) coverage. That’s an impressive feat and a positive indicator for his future with this team. Now, for my money, he wasn’t doing much in the way of detailed technique or crisp route-running to get open. However, what you did see was the natural leverage his physical gifts afford him and a player who was just executing.
Meredith didn’t look lost. The role of a top target didn’t look too big for him. He’s a smooth mover and someone who was almost always a better athlete than the defensive back covering him. The term “he’s a natural” is probably an overused quip. Yet, in Meredith’s case, it does seem to sum up what he is as a player. Someone who might not be all the way there from a studious perspective, but a receiver who can get the job done because of his natural athleticism and aggression.
On the negative side, his success rate vs. zone coverage was well below the NFL average with a 58.8 percent score. This is where you can hypothesize that he still needs to take a few steps as both a technician and a student of the game. More time and experience when facing NFL defenses will help Meredith get the reps he needs to identify patterns in zone coverage and sifting through the traffic to find open holes. Right now, that’s a weakness in his game, and a hindrance in him reaching a reliable week-to-week floor. While his physical gifts are tantalizing and see he can routinely separate from man coverage against inferior defenders, he’ll need to take a few steps to round out his game to a more predictable level.
(SRVC denotes success rate versus coverage for each route. PTS indicates how many PPR fantasy points a receiver earned on each particular route)
Reception Perception consistently harps on the reality that more players than the public generally acknowledges run simplified route-trees. We also note that while the scouting community might level this as a criticism or weakness in an evaluation, it can often be that simplified portfolio that affords the quarterback easier passes to throw. Cameron Meredith’s strengths seem to suit a stripped down route chart:
Starting with the negatives: despite his strong athletic ability, Meredith did not post a success rate vs. coverage score above the league average on any of the nine, post or corner route. Oftentimes the art of route-running goes overlooked in the deep game. It takes more than just inherent big-play speed to make vertical plays. This is an area where Meredith must continue working.
He also did not run a comeback route and scored poorly on outs. These routes often take a high-degree of route-running talent and an understanding of timing. Again, this just underscores that’s where Meredith needs more seasoning.
However, Meredith did post strong scores on the curl, slant and “other” route (all of which were fade patterns). All of these allow Meredith to use his pristine agility for his 6’3 size and his long frame to create a large strike zone for his quarterback. Meredith brought down all of his contested catch attempts in tight traffic on Sunday and these routes put him in those positons.
While his route chart does not reveal anything too terribly nuanced, it does show a player who has progressed to the point where he has a very specific set of skills that are already above the NFL average. Meredith also recorded a catch on six of the eight type of routes he ran on Sunday, showing there is potential for him to win on them even if his overall success rate still needs work. Brian Hoyer will remember those moments.
Did the Bears uncover the next big thing on Sunday? It’s still too early to say. For now, Meredith looks like a player who is closer to the strong contributor level of player than a league-winning asset.
Yet, considering where he was regarded just a week ago, that’s quite a win for all involved. The Bears were hurting for receiver depth beyond Alshon Jeffery and it looks like they found a player to fill those shoes. Meredith appears to have snuck up on most of the world, myself included, so due shout out to all those who had an eye on him due to his athletic resume entering the NFL.
Now that he’s on our radar, expectations will go up for Cameron Meredith. What he showed in his first game at least alerts us to the reality that the groundwork is there for him to continue along the line of progress if he continues to work for it. The Bears got a nice find here.