Patriots sign free agent wide receiver Cameron Meredith, immediately place him on PUP list

The New England Patriots’ wide receiver position saw some considerable turnover this offseason — from the free agency departures of Cordarrelle Patterson and Chris Hogan, to the club adding N’Keal Harry in the first round of the draft, to the additions of veterans and unselected rookies alike. Now, the Patriots have added another player to the group: as first reported by the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride, they signed free agent Cameron Meredith.

Meredith originally entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015 out of Illinois State. He started his pro career with the Chicago Bears, for whom he appeared in 25 games and caught a combined 77 passes for 1,008 yards and 4 touchdowns. Playing both on the perimeter and in the slot, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound wideout showed plenty of promise early on in his career before a knee injury cost him his entire 2017 campaign.

In 2018, the New Orleans Saints brought Meredith on board as a restricted free agent after Chicago declined to match a two-year, $9.6 million offer sheet. However, he failed to get back to old form and appeared in only six games for the Saints — catching just 9 passes for 114 yards and a score — before another knee injury forced the team to place him on injured reserve. He returned to the team this summer but was ultimately released last week.

Meredith, who underwent a minor procedure this offseason to clean up his knee, will now join a Patriots team that will take a cautious approach when it comes to the 26-year-old’s recovery: New England immediately moved him to its physically unable to perform list (PUP), where he joined fellow wideout Demaryius Thomas (Achilles). Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman (finger) also opened training camp on a reserve list after the team placed him on the non-football injury list (NFI).