Cameron Meredith - Pro Football Rumors

WR Cameron Meredith Lands CFL Deal

July 2nd, 2021 at 9:10am CST by Sam Robinson

Cameron Meredith has not played since November 2018, but the former Bears and Saints wide receiver will have a comeback opportunity after this lengthy hiatus. The CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers added Meredith to their roster Thursday.

The time off may have been necessary for the 28-year-old wideout, who suffered multiple career-altering knee injuries while in the NFL. Coming off a breakout 2016 season, Meredith suffered left ACL and MCL tears during a 2017 preseason game. He then encountered more damage to that knee in 2018, when his season ended early because of arthroscopic surgery.

A UDFA out of Illinois State, Meredith led the 2016 Bears in receiving with 888 yards — during a season in which Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley all started at least five games with Chicago. After Meredith’s injury, the Bears gave him an original-round RFA tender in 2018. This invited interest from multiple teams. The Saints signed him to a two-year, $9.6MM offer sheet, with $5.4MM guaranteed, but that pact only led to a nine-catch, 114-yard abbreviated season. The Patriots signed Meredith in 2019 but cut him ahead of the regular season.

“I’ve taken the last couple of years to sit back, enjoy time with my family and do the necessary therapy and treatment. I’ve been doing like the lifting, the massages, everything,” Meredith said, via Ed Tait of BlueBombers.com. “It’s been a nonstop 2½-year grind. I’d like to say it wasn’t for nothing because now I’ve got this opportunity to do something with it.”

After the COVID-19 pandemic nixed the 2020 CFL season, the league will return this year. The 2021 CFL season begins August 5, when the Blue Bombers face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Former Jets wideout ArDarius Stewart and ex-Giants backup receiver Quadree Henderson are also on Winnipeg’s preseason roster.

Patriots Release Cameron Meredith

October 1st, 2019 at 4:06pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Patriots are throwing in the towel on Cameron Meredith. New England is releasing the veteran receiver, a source told Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

It’s another setback for the once promising wideout, who has been dealt a very tough hand in recent years. Meredith had been on the PUP list to start the season, and Yates notes that he was still unable to fully recover from his knee injury. There was an initial thought in the building that “2019 would be a year to get healthy with an eye toward 2020,” tweets Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, who notes that obviously “those plans have now changed.”

Meredith originally signed a two-year deal back in early August shortly after the Saints cut him. He initially signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois State back in 2015. The small-school product burst onto the scene in 2016 as he racked up 888 yards and four touchdowns. He looked like a potential star in the making and was set to enter 2017 as Chicago’s top receiver, until he tore his ACL and suffered other damage in his knee during the preseason.

He missed the entire season, but had still shown enough the year before to earn a two-year, $9.6MM offer sheet from the Saints. His knee continued to bother him during his time in New Orleans and he never got back to full strength, appearing in just six games and making only nine catches last year. After he again struggled with his knee this offseason, New Orleans cut bait. At this point, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll ever get back to his prior level.

After the Patriots released Antonio Brown, there was some hope that Meredith could come off PUP and provide their receiving corp with some reinforcements. They’ll now have to look elsewhere, and the return of rookie first-round pick N’Keal Harry, on injured reserve with an ankle injury, just got a lot more important.

Patriots Reach Roster Max

August 31st, 2019 at 8:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots announced the release of 27 players as a part of their efforts to get down to the 53-man limit. They also placed four players on injured reserve, one player on NFI, and another on PUP.

The previously reported release of wide receiver Demaryius Thomas understandably got the most attention, but there are some other notable names here, including wide receiver Braxton Berrios. Berrios, 24 in October, had a solid training camp and preseason, but could not find a place on the roster after Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon returned to action. It stands to reason that he could be a practice squad candidate if he clears waivers.

Here’s the rest:

Released:

TE Stephen Anderson
TE Andrew Beck
RB Nick Brossette
OL Cole Croston
WR Ryan Davis
OL James Ferentz
OL Tyler Gauthier
LB Terez Hall
DL Trent Harris
DB A.J. Howard
OL Martez Ivey
FB Jakob Johnson
DL Ufomba Kamalu
OL Cedrick Lang
LB Calvin Munson
DL David Parry
WR Damoun Patterson
LB Christian Sam
TE Eric Saubert
OL Dan Skipper
OL Tyree St. Louis,
DL Nick Thurman
DB Ken Webster
LB Scooby Wright III

Placed on IR:

OL Hjalte Froholdt
DB Malik Gant
DL Derek Rivers

In addition, New England also placed offensive lineman Yodny Cajuste on the NFI list and wide receiver Cameron Meredith on the PUP list.

Details On Cameron Meredith’s Patriots Deal

August 7th, 2019 at 8:42am CST by Zachary Links

On Tuesday, the Patriots agreed to sign wide receiver Cameron Meredith to a low-cost deal. Today, we learned the details of the pact, via Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Meredith’s deal is worth just $2.02MM over two years and includes no guaranteed money. The deal also includes injury waivers for both years. It’s a big step down from the two-year, $9.6MM deal he inked with the Saints as a restricted free agent just a couple of years ago.

On the plus side, the deal gives Meredith a chance to prove that he is healthy and can still play at a high level. Meanwhile, it’s a very low-risk deal for the Patriots that could pay major dividends.

Extra Points: Thomas, Meredith, Buccaneers

August 2nd, 2019 at 9:41pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Soon after Michael Thomas received his five-year, $100MM extension from the Saints, we heard that it wasn’t quite $100MM in reality. The base of the deal is $96.25MM, with incentives in the final couple of years that will be very hard to reach which could bump it up to $100MM. Now we have full details on the contract, courtesy of Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Florio has a year by year breakdown off all the incentives and bonuses Thomas will get. To reach the full value of $100MM, Thomas “needs to do each of the following in 2022 and 2023: Catch 100 passes, gain 1,400 yards, score 12 touchdowns, and get to the playoffs.”

Florio notes that the fully guaranteed portion of the deal is $35.64MM, “covering the first two years and a slice of 2021.” He seems to think the Saints aren’t actually tied to Thomas for too long if they don’t want to be, writing “the rolling guarantees give the Saints plenty of flexibility beyond 2020.” Thomas has put up absurd numbers in his first three years in the league, and he was the only consistent receiver New Orleans had for a lot of last season. Drew Brees was often throwing to a rotating cast of undrafted free agents and castoffs last year, so it’s safe to say they need Thomas.

Here’s more from around the league:

Receiver Cameron Meredith landed on his feet as he signed with the Patriots earlier today, but he apparently isn’t fully healthy. New England placed him on the active/PUP list after inking him, per Doug Kyed of NESN.com. Meredith had a breakout 2016 campaign but then missed the entire 2017 season with a devastating knee injury and hasn’t been the same since. The Saints finally gave up on him and released him earlier this week after he was never able to fully recover during his time in New Orleans. Since it’s the active/PUP list and not the reserve/PUP list, Meredith could be activated at any time and resume practicing. He isn’t the only Patriots receiver that’s banged up, as the Pats are also waiting on Demaryius Thomas and Julian Edelman to heal up.
Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians promised to hire women when he got hired by Tampa Bay, and he followed through by bringing on two female assistant coaches back in March. He didn’t stop there, as the Bucs have also hired Carly Helfand as a scouting assistant, per Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Laine notes that she also worked for Penn and the Philadelphia Soul of the AFL. She was the only woman interviewed out of ten candidates, and Laine notes the Buccaneers were “very impressed” with her.
In case you missed it, we took a look at a few potential landing spots for Redskins left tackle Trent Williams.

Patriots To Sign Cameron Meredith

August 2nd, 2019 at 3:16pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are signing former Saints and Bears wide receiver Cameron Meredith, a source tells NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). It’ll be a low-cost deal for New England, but one that could have tremendous upside.

Meredith failed to meet his high expectations in New Orleans thanks to health issues, but he’s apparently healed up from the torn ACL and assorted problems suffered towards the end of his run in Chicago.

With the Saints, Meredith had just nine receptions on the year. But, in 2016, Meredith flashed major potential with 66 grabs for 888 yards and four scores in 14 games, only ten of which were starts.

The Patriots could use someone like Meredith as Julian Edelman deals with a thumb injury and Demaryius Thomas works his way back from the PUP list. Of course, Josh Gordon also remains suspended, leaving a need for talent in the WR group.

Besides those names, the Pats’ WR depth chart includes N’Keal Harry, Phillip Dorsett, Maurice Harris, Jakobi Meyers, Braxton Berrios, Dontrelle Inman, Damoun Patterson, Gunner Olszewski, and Ryan Davis.

Patriots Meet With Cameron Meredith

August 2nd, 2019 at 12:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Wide receiver Cameron Meredith is set to meet with the Patriots for the second time this week, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The free agent met with the Patriots a couple of days ago, soon after his release from the Saints.

Meredith failed to meet his high expectations in New Orleans thanks to health issues, but he’s apparently healed up from the torn ACL and assorted problems suffered towards the end of his run in Chicago.

With the Saints, Meredith had just nine receptions on the year. But, in 2016, Meredith flashed major potential with 66 grabs for 888 yards and four scores in 14 games, only ten of which were starts.

The Patriots could use someone like Meredith as Julian Edelman deals with a thumb injury and Demaryius Thomas works his way back from the PUP list. Of course, Josh Gordon also remains suspended, leaving a need for talent in the WR group.

Saints Release WR Cameron Meredith

July 29th, 2019 at 9:59am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints released wide receiver Cameron Meredith, according to Herbie Teope of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter). The Saints receiver previously reduced his base salary from $3.4MM to $1.3MM, but it wasn’t enough to save his job.

It’s been a tough couple of years for Meredith since his breakout 2016 season, when he racked up 888 yards in just 14 games with the Bears. Meredith was supposed to be Chicago’s top receiver in 2017, but he suffered a devastating injury in the preseason which included a torn ACL and additional damage to his knee. After missing the entire year, he signed a two-year offer sheet worth $9.6MM with the Saints as a restricted free agent.

He never really recovered while with the Saints, and he was placed on IR after just six games with last year due to issues with the same knee. He finished with only nine catches for 114 yards and a touchdown in his first (and only) season on the field in New Orleans.

Meredith has yet to participate in any offseason practices and had to undergo a knee scope earlier this year. Still, he’s only 26 and offers potential, so he should find his way back to the NFL once he’s healthy.

Cameron Meredith Unlikely To Make Saints?

July 6th, 2019 at 7:58pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It looks like the pay cut Cameron Meredith took back in March might not be enough to save him. The Saints receiver reduced his base salary from $3.4MM to $1.3MM, but it seems like it won’t matter.

Not only did Larry Holder of The Athletic leave him off his recent New Orleans roster projection, he also sounds very pessimistic about his chances of making the team. He writes that there “are probably receivers I’ve left off the roster right now that would have a better shot at sticking” than Meredith does. Harsh.

It’s been a tough couple of years for Meredith since his breakout 2016 season, when he racked up 888 yards in just 14 games with the Bears. Meredith was supposed to be Chicago’s top receiver in 2017, but he suffered a devastating injury in the preseason which included a torn ACL and additional damage to his knee. After missing the entire year, he signed a two-year offer sheet worth $9.6MM with the Saints as a restricted free agent.

He never really recovered from the 2017 injury, and he was placed on injured reserve after just six games with the Saints last year due to issues with the same knee. He finished with only nine catches for 114 yards and a touchdown in his first season in New Orleans. He had a scope on his knee after the season, and hasn’t participated in any practices this offseason. Even though he’s still only 26, his longterm health appears to be in question.

It’s a tough situation, and hopefully Meredith can get back on the field soon and make an impact. The former undrafted free agent from Illinois State is undeniably talented, and if he can prove he’s healthy then we haven’t heard the last of him. Holder also left Rishard Matthews, a recent veteran receiver signing, off his roster projection.

Saints’ Cameron Meredith Takes Pay Cut

March 21st, 2019 at 8:55am CST by Zachary Links

Saints wide receiver Cameron Meredith has agreed to a pay cut, reducing his base salary from $3.4MM to $1.3MM for 2019, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Meredith missed ten games due to a knee issue last season, so it was a logical move for both sides.

With that, Meredith’s cap number will decrease from $6.45MM to $4.15M, creating additional cap room for New Orleans. This will, in part, help to offset the expense of adding tight end Jared Cook.

Meredith was not involved in the Saints’ offense outside of Weeks 3-5 last year, though he dressed in the weeks leading up to his injury. When he was on the field, Meredith had nine catches for 114 yards and a touchdown in total.

Meredith, 27 in September, exploded in 2016 with 66 catches for 888 yards and four touchdowns. He was primed for an even bigger 2017 with the Bears, but a torn ACL and MCL in the preseason wiped out the entire year. The Saints still saw plenty of upside in Meredith, however, and inked him to a two-year offer sheet as a restricted free agent.

Drew Brees tends to spread the ball around, but Meredith will have an opportunity to assert himself in one of the league’s most potent offenses in 2019. If he can stay healthy and produce, he’ll have an opportunity to cash in next March as an unrestricted free agent.