Cam Meredith’s MRI on Monday showed a torn left ACL, sources said, and perhaps further damage. He is undergoing further testing.
The Bears’ receiver is expected miss this season.
The loss of Meredith is a tremendous blow to a Bears receiving corps that was already considered one of the team’s shakiest position groups. The third-year Illinois State alum was supposed to be their top receiver after leading the Bears last season with 66 catches for 888 yards.
The Bears tried to rally around the St. Joseph High School graduate on Sunday, knowing he was likely lost for the season.
“I told him: A, stay positive, and B, get ready to grind,” tight end Zach Miller said. “Right now you’re down. I know from being there you’re down for a second. He’ll be up soon.”
Center Hroniss Grasu, who tore his ACL last preseason, said the injury is a “test of your mental toughness.”
“It’s a test of the kind of man you are,” he said. “You can either attack it or take it the other way. I know he’s going to attack it.”
The Bears allowed Alshon Jeffery to leave via free agency and cut Eddie Royal, but didn’t replace them with top-tier additions. The team signed two slot receivers, Kendall Wright and Victor Cruz, to one-year deals worth $2 million apiece. The minimal investment allowed the Bears to see if either could recapture their past successes; Wright is four years removed from a 94-catch, 1,079-yard season, while Cruz had 1,536 receiving yards in 2011 and 1,092 in 2012.
The Bears have been impressed with undrafted receiver Tanner Gentry, who caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from Mitch Trubisky on Sunday. Kick returner Deonte Thompson replaced Meredith when he went down against the Titans, while big-money free-agent signing Markus Wheaton has played little this offseason after having appendix surgery and an operation to fix a broken pinkie finger.
