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Bears OC: Kevin White has to be team's No. 1 wide receiver

If Kevin White is to become a No. 1 receiver for the Bears he'll need to dramatically increase his 19 catches in two seasons. Daniel Bartel/Icon Sportswire

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears think Kevin White's time has come.

As many have surmised, the Bears anointed White their No. 1 wide receiver after Cameron Meredith's season-ending knee injury. Therefore, White should be a focal point on offense going forward.

At least, that's the plan.

"Yes, I believe [White can be a No. 1 wide receiver]," Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said on Wednesday. "And obviously he's going to have to be, because he's the guy with the experience and he's talented and he should be in a featured role."

Meredith's 66 catches, 888 receiving yards and four touchdowns last year are not No. 1 wide receiver numbers. Eclipsing 66 receptions is a rather modest goal for anyone viewed as an upper-echelon wideout. But it would constitute enormous progress for White, who has just 19 total catches during the regular season since the Bears drafted him seventh overall in 2015.

"Yes, Kevin definitely can [be a No. 1]," said Bears quarterback Mike Glennon, who played with receiver Mike Evans (238 catches in three NFL seaons) at Tampa Bay.

"Kevin's got the size, the athleticism, the strength. He has what you're looking for. He hasn't been healthy. I think we just need to all give him the opportunity to be that guy and I think he'll show that this year. I have a real close relationship with him. I worked with him in the summer, just the two of us and then all the time in practice. It might not show up in preseason games, but again preseason isn't the same as regular season as far as game-planning and all that. So, Kevin will be just fine."

General manager Ryan Pace feels White is the same athlete he was coming out of college despite sustaining two fractures in the same leg. White had to undergo surgery to fix both of those injuries.

"I believe that he is," Pace said. "Now he's got a chance to showcase it. The good thing is that he's strung together healthy practices. I think that was important for him. He has really only had one training camp. For him to be able to string together healthy practices and stack positive days, now we're set for him to have a big year for us."

As for the rest of Chicago's receivers -- Loggains isn't so sure.

"Cam was a guy we had a lot of faith in," Loggains said. "He came out of nowhere last year. He had a great year. We're expecting those guys -- someone has to step up and fill those roles. It may be more by committee than it is one guy taking on the Cam Meredith load. Because I don't know if any [one] guy that's going to be rotating in the rotation is capable of doing that. But we'll do it as a committee, and each guy will have a little role, and each guy will have a package of plays."