The Bears just lost their best receiver before playing the Falcons in Week 1

If you squint, you can see the vague contours of a good Chicago Bears team in the current roster. They’ve got a defense with some interesting pieces, the #1 overall pick at quarterback in Mitch Trubisky, and intriguing weapons on offense who needs some seasoning. The team that they have right now is not all that good on paper, however, and it got even worse yesterday.

Meredith was the Bears’ top receiver with Kevin White no sure thing and nobody else even remotely laying claim to that title, and now long-necked football catapult Mike Glennon basically has nobody good to throw to. The Bears have a quality ground game, but this is another blow to an offense that already promised to struggle.

The implications for the Falcons, who travel to Chicago to face this team in Week 1, are obvious. Their defense looks lethally fast and capable, and they have one of the better sets of defensive backs in the entire NFL, which means this could get genuinely ugly. If Atlanta’s offense gets going, this has all the hallmarks of the kind of feel-good blowout this team needs after a long summer.

I feel badly for Meredith and hope he makes a swift and full recovery. I also feel bad for the Bears, who look like they’ll be walking into a buzzsaw.