NASHVILLE – The Bears' impressive performance in Sunday's 19-7 preseason win over the Titans was marred by a knee injury to top receiver Cameron Meredith.
The third-year pro suffered what coach John Fox said is "suspected to be an ACL injury" late in the first quarter when he was hit by safety Johnathan Cyprien while catching a 16-yard pass from Mike Glennon. The two had connected on a 28-yard pass earlier in the game.
"It was definitely tough," Glennon said. "He was playing so well. He had the catch on the first drive and then the catch right there, and all camp he's been definitely one of our go-to guys. He was just a guy that was on the incline, always getting better. It's unfortunate that something like that would happen."
A converted quarterback from Illinois State, Meredith had a breakout season last year, leading Bears receivers with 66 receptions for 888 yards and four touchdowns.
"Cam was a huge part of our offense," Glennon said. "I'm pulling for him. But guys just have to step up. Unfortunately, sometimes that's the reality of football is guys go down. But I think we have a deeper group of receivers and a lot of guys that can play. There's an opportunity to really go grab that new spot. So it's unfortunate, but I think we have a deep group at receiver."
Stepping up: One receiver who could help fill the void is veteran Kendall Wright, who caught three passes for 35 yards against his former team Sunday.
Wright, who signed with the Bears in March after spending his first five seasons with the Titans, converted three third downs to sustain a 15-play, 96-yard drive on his team's first possession. He had receptions of 10 yards on third-and-nine, 10 yards on third-and-seven and 15 yards on third-and-eight.
"He's a new player to us, a new player to me and a new player to our locker room," Fox said. "I think that he's been excellently received. He's got a little fire about him. He's competitive. That's the impression I have. He's been a good addition."
Sick bay: Unfortunately, Meredith wasn't the only Bears player who suffered an injury. Others who exited Sunday's game were cornerbacks Prince Amukamara (ankle) and Sherrick McManis (hamstring), outside linebacker Leonard Floyd (foot) and linebacker Dan Skuta (concussion).
Long-snapper Patrick Scales sustained what Fox described as "what we suspect is a pretty serious knee injury" while covering a punt early in the second quarter. Offensive lineman Bradley Sowell took over long-snapping duties for the rest of the game without incident.
Special play: After recording sacks on back-to-back snaps last Saturday night against the Cardinals, defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris made another impact play Sunday when he blocked a Titans punt that rolled out of the end zone for a safety.
"I just did my assignment," Robertson-Harris said. "It opened up for me and I made sure to get my hands up. We got points on the board, so it felt good."
The play no doubt will enhance Robertson-Harris' chances of making the Bears' final roster.
"It was real big," he said. "It shows that I can play special teams. I'm just going to continue to do what coach asks me to do and just try to make plays while I'm out there."
Early exit: Bears defensive end Jaye Howard Jr. and Titans left guard Quinton Spain were ejected by referee Ed Hochuli for throwing punches after a play with 10:38 left in the first half.
Much better: The Bears led 12-0 at halftime Sunday. In their third preseason game the previous three years they faced halftime deficits of 31-0 to the Seahawks (2014), 21-3 to the Bengals (2015) and 13-0 to the Chiefs (2016).
Roster news:Bears players who did not travel to the game due to injuries included running back Ka'Deem Carey, receivers Joshua Bellamy and Markus Wheaton, guard Kyle Long, defensive linemen Jonathan Bullard and Mitch Unrein, linebacker Jonathan Anderson, and defensive backs Johnthan Banks, Bryce Callahan, DeAndre Houston-Carson and Chris Prosinski.
