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As the Chicago Bears play out 2016, limping to their 3rd consecutive losing season, there’s not much for Bears’ fans to get excited about. There’s draft positioning to intrigue some of us, there’s the possibility of a new coaching staff that fires up some, but on the field, between the lines, there are some youngsters proving to be cornerstones for the future..
Rookie running back Jordan Howard has looked like the real deal since he rattled off 10 yards on his first professional carry. Rookie center Cody Whitehair, who hasn't missed a start all year, will be a Pro Bowler very soon. But the biggest surprise to me has been the emergence of Cameron Meredith as a reliable receiving threat.
In the latest edition of my T Formation Conversation podcast, (Subscribe now for free on iTunes!) I talk about how Meredith’s success will fit into Chicago's receiving corps in 2017.
Meredith was forced into action last year and he had a modest 11 receptions for 120 yards in 11 games. I doubt if many fans expected much from the UDFA in his 2nd year and he wasn’t even active for the 1st two games this season. Some injuries to his teammates gave him an opportunity this year and he took advantage of it.
In 13 games this year, he has 62 receptions for 827 yards and 4 TDs.
I’ve been impressed with his development this year and here are a couple tweets I shared about him on Saturday.
The #Bears Cameron Meredith looks like his floor is as a WR2, I really like the way he's looked these last few weeks.
— Lester A Wiltfong Jr (@wiltfongjr) December 24, 2016
.@Johnathan_Wood1 @RobertZeglinski He's worked hard on his craft in season. Route running, hands catching, ball security, YAC all improved.
— Lester A Wiltfong Jr (@wiltfongjr) December 24, 2016
What do you guys expect from Meredith and the Bears’ receiving corps in 2017?