#cameron meredith

[nflfanpointii]

Did Cameron Meredith have a set back? | Saints Roster Battles To Watch

Sources from inside the Saints facility, and outside, seem to be giving conflicting reports on Cameron Meredith’s health status. Is the talk around him and his injuries being blown out of proportion? Signing him was expecting to help take the receiving group of Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr to the next level.

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Saints absolutely stole Cam Meredith from Bears

The New Orleans Saints took a risk by signing Cam Meredith to an offer sheet, and the Chicago Bears surprisingly declined to match.

Last week, New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis signed restricted free agent Cam Meredith to a two-year deal worth $9.6 million.

The Chicago Bears had five days to match the offer and automatically retain their young, talented wide receiver. Instead, GM Ryan Pace let Meredith walk, apparently believing he can’t come back from a brutal knee injury sustained last summer.

Meredith, 25, was terrific in 2016, catching 66 passes for 888 yards and four touchdowns. Coming into 2017, he was expected to be a key part of Chicago’s offense before ripping up his knee in a preseason game against the Tennessee Titans.

While the recovery process is ongoing, Meredith is expected to be ready for the regular season. Why the Bears wouldn’t match, considering their ample cap space and need at the position, is mind-boggling. Chicago could have simply offered Meredith a higher tender and almost guaranteed that no team would make an overture. Instead, the Bears played with fire by giving Meredith an original-round designation, inviting a smart team to swoop in.

New Orleans is getting a valuable weapon to its already potent offense. The Saints already boast a top receiver in Michael Thomas, but they add both depth and speed in Meredith, who should come in during three and four-wide sets. Meanwhile, the Bears are hoping that Taylor Gabriel pans out, and that Allen Robinson — who is also coming off a torn ACL — maintains his status as an elite receiver.

[nflfanpointii]

Getting to Know newest Saint: Cameron Meredith

The New Orleans Saints signed wide receiver Cameron Meredith to an offer sheet worth a reported $9.6 million over two years after the Chicago Bears declined to match the offer for the restricted free agent.

Meredith, 25, missed the entire 2017 season with tears in his anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament.

Meredith is a likely candidate for the No. 3 receiver alongside Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr.

Here are 7 things to know about the newest member of the Saints.

He went to Illinois State as a quarterback

Meredith was a high school quarterback and was not highly recruited. He committed to Illinois State and eventually switched to receiver and had an impressive senior season with 66 catches for 1,061 yards and nine touchdowns. That made him one of only six players in that school’s history to tally more than 1,000 yards in a season.

He went undrafted out of Illionis State

Meredith wasn’t invited to the NFL Scouting Combine but impressed scouts at Northwestern’s Pro Day. He went undrafted in 2015 and signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent.

He was prank called on draft night

Meredith thought he was going to be drafted, as he was prank called by someone pretending to be New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

Read about that anecdote and more in Brad Biggs' 2015 profile of Meredith in the Chicago Tribune.

He was very productive in his second NFL season

Meredith caught 66 passes for 888 yards and four touchdowns in 2016 after tallying just 11 catches for 120 yards.

Meredith will once again be coached by Curtis Johnson

Saints receivers coach Curtis Johnson was the Bears' receivers coach when Meredith had his most productive year.

He'd never attended an NFL game before his first game as a Bear

Meredith’s first game as a Bear was also the first NFL game he attended. His father told Chicagofootball.com that he was never able to bring Meredith to a game growing up.

He missed the 2017 season

He missed 2017 after tearing his ACL in the Bears third preseason game against the Tennessee Titans.

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Bears restricted free agent WR Cameron Meredith signs Saints' offer sheet: report

The New Orleans Saints are attempting to fill a "must" position as Bears restricted free agent wide receiver Cameron Meredith signed an offer sheet with New Orleans, ESPN reports.

It's reportedly a two-year deal worth a maximum of $10 million. The Bears would have five days to match the Saints' offer before losing Meredith.

The Bears issued Meredith, 25, the low tender worth $1.907 million for 2018 meaning the Saints wouldn't have to compensate them if they refuse to match New Orleans' offer.

Meredith entered the league undrafted from Illinois State in 2015. He thrived for the Bears in 2016 with 66 receptions and 888 receiving yards in 2016. Yet Meredith sustained damage to two ligaments in his knee in the 2017 preseason forcing him to sit out all of last season.

Meredith reportedly visited with Indianapolis and Baltimore during the last couple of weeks before visiting the Saints nearly two weeks ago.

The Saints issued a no-compensation tender for wide receiver Willie Snead earlier this offseason. If New Orleans lands Meredith, the Saints could pull the Snead tender off the table. It's still feasible for the Saints to hang onto Snead and land Meredith, though.

Players have until April 20 to sign their restricted free agent tenders.

Meredith's addition could also mean trouble for unrestricted free agent wideout Brandon Coleman if Coleman hoped to remain with the Saints.

Chicago and New Orleans carry a recent history of jostling for RFAs. The Bears tried to pluck tight end Josh Hill leading up to the 2016 season with an RFA tender. The Saints matched the offer to hang on to Hill.

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Cameron Meredith's first catch in a Saints uniform goes for an 11-yard touchdown!

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Saints' Cameron Meredith excited by possibility of playing in Week 3

[kdav82]

Week 1 Start/Sit

Here's my take on a few players to start or sit in the first week of the @NFL season. #NFLKickoff #FantasyFootball #StartOrSit

Week 1 is often very unpredictable.  Pre-season showed if guys are in shape, but not their full potential.  There are no trends to follow, but finding players that have the opportunity to have a big week are what fantasy owners are looking to take advantage of to get off to a good start for the season.

START

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers, QB-  Newton has plenty of talent around him to put up a…

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Saints wide receiver Cameron Meredith starting to feel more like himself

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Cameron Meredith is still waiting for his first catch of the 2018 preseason.

For most veterans, that wouldn't be an issue, but as he works his way back from a knee injury that forced him to miss all of 2017, Meredith wants to make some plays to help himself feel normal.

"I need to go out there, and I need to feel comfortable," Meredith said Tuesday (Aug. 28). "I need to go out there and take a couple hits (and) get a catch."

Although the final preseason game is typically reserved for bubble players while the starters rest, coach Sean Payton said Meredith would get a lot of work Thursday because of his limitations earlier in the preseason. He missed the first preseason game and then had just one target in both the second and third exhibitions. Meredith also missed about two weeks of training camp for an undisclosed reason.

When asked if he's 100 percent healthy, Meredith declined to put a number on how he's feeling, but he's thinks he's getting closer to full heath.

"It's hard to tell, but at the same time, I feel good," he said. "I feel like I'm starting to come around and feel like myself."

The next question for Meredith after he's fully healthy is how he fits in the Saints offense. Payton said Meredith is a little behind because of the time he missed, but the coach called Meredith a "quick learner." Meredith said he's developing chemistry with quarterback Drew Brees, but that takes time.

"Obviously, the more time we get, the better," Brees said last week when the Saints practiced in Los Angeles. "I'm excited that he's been able to be healthy here over the last few days and get some of those reps and a lot of time after practice."

The Saints were drawn to Meredith because of his ability to play multiple roles in the offense, and they hoped he could produce similarly to his 66 catches for 888 yards with the Bears in 2016.

Right now, it's hard to project what Meredith will contribute for the Saints this season. Michael Thomas is the clear-cut No. 1 receiver, but the rest of the depth chart is unclear. If Meredith improves his chemistry with Brees quickly, there's a chance for him to play a huge role on offense, but he doesn't have much more time to improve that bond.

This year has been challenging for Meredith. He said he's never dealt with a long-term injury before this, and there have been some frustrating days. Soon, though, he hopes things will be back to normal.

"It's a day-to-day process," he said. "There's ups and downs in the battle, but for the most part, it'll turn me into a better player."