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Meredith had further tests done to confirm that diagnosis and the news didn’t get any better after the results came in. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Meredith does have a torn ACL and that he also suffered “other damage” to his knee that will require other tests.
The news is bad for Meredith, but as Profootballtalk.com's Josh Alper suggests, it never looked good for the wideout on Sunday. His leg bent in a very awkward way as he went down at the end of reception and trainers immediately immobilized the leg in an air cast before helping Meredith onto a cart.
Meredith led the Bears in receptions and receiving yards last season and hoped to build on that this year. Had he done that, he would have been an interesting case for the Bears in terms of what level tended to use on him as a restricted free agent if they didn’t move for a long-term deal. Meredith is still set to be a restricted free agent, but the question may now shift to whether he’s healed enough for the Bears to extend him any tender.
What about the immediate future beyond Meredith?
It's not looking good for the Bears.
Alshon Jeffery is now catching touchdown passes from Carson Wentz in Philadelphia and Meredith was clearly the Bears' best receiver. Now the pressure is really on former seventh overall pick Kevin White to step up and become something in the NFL. Otherwise, Markus Wheaton, who has barely practiced because of his appendectomy and finger surgery, Kendall Wright, Victor Cruz, Josh Bellamy, Titus Davis and Deonte Thompson round out the receiving corps.
Wheaton and Bellamy did not against the Titans because of injuries. But we'll all need to be watching to see who steps up here with White being the only name of interest to fantasy owners until we see more.