Former Chicago Bears wide receiver Javon Wims has found a new home.
A seventh-round draft pick for the Bears out of the University of Georgia (224 overall) in 2018, Wims is signing with the Cleveland Browns, per the NFL’s April 20 waiver wire.
Wims was waived by the Bears during their final roster cuts in 2021 and he was picked up by the Las Vegas Raiders shortly after his release. He spent last season on the Raiders’ practice squad but was released in March.
He joins a receiving corps in Cleveland that includes Amari Cooper, Anthony Schwartz, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Ja’Marcus Bradley and former Bears wideout and punt return specialist Jakeem Grant.
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Multiple Incidents Marred Wims’ Time in Chicago
Wims played in 33 games in his three years with the Bears, starting seven. He hauled in 28 passes on 56 targets for 266 yards and two touchdowns, and was primarily used as a blocker by former head coach Matt Nagy.
His more memorable moments with the team, unfortunately, weren’t very positive ones. He was suspended for two games without pay by the league as punishment for punching New Orleans Saints defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson during a regular season game on November 1, 2020.
Wims tapped Gardner-Johnson’s shoulder to get his attention before hitting him — in the helmet. Wims then punched the Saints defensive back again and was subsequently ejected.
“You are a great player bro, but that wasn’t cool.. regardless of the situation,” former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant tweeted at Wims shortly after the incident with Gardner-Johnson, adding: “You had time to think and you still did that.”
There was also the drop. During Chicago’s wild-card playoff game against the Saints just over two months later, Wims dropped a beautiful flea-flicker courtesy of former Bears QB Mitch Trubisky that would have tied the game in the first quarter:
In addition to his on-field incidents and issues, Wims also took a shot at the Bears on social media while he was still with the team in December of 2020, clicking ‘like’ on a tweet that read: “Chicago is where receivers go to die.”
Now, he’ll get a chance to make the roster in Cleveland.
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Wims Has Been Working to Improve His Game
In multiple videos he posted on his Instagram page, the 6-foot-2, 221-pound wide receiver shared some footage of himself running routes and catching passes.
“Since I don’t play for the raiders no more here’s what I been up to,” Wims captioned with the videos, adding: “not going at anybody just showing growth.”
A few former Bears, including running back Tarik Cohen and cornerback Prince Amukamara, left encouraging comments on the thread. “Bruh yo release game is still dummy,” Amukamara wrote.
Wims hasn’t played since 2020 so he’s a long shot to make the Browns’ 53-man roster, but a spot on the practice squad isn’t out of the question.
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