Cordarelle Patterson. Riley Ridley. Emanuel Hall. Marvin Hall. There are a lot of new faces at the wide receiver position in 2019 for the Chicago Bears. This can make it easy to overlook certain people who are already on the roster. Those that have paid their dues and are searching for an opportunity. Football fans by their nature like to assume that most of the new faces will make the roster. Oftentimes that’s not the case, and Javon Wims will prove it.
Remember him? The 7th round pick in 2018 out of Georgia arrived with little buzz. Then he delivered one of the best preseason runs for a rookie Bears receiver ever. In four appearances, he made 15 catches for 225 yards and a touchdown. His mixture of size and underrated speed made him a problem for defensive backs. So much that some wondered if he might see the field right away.
It didn’t turn out that way. Wims rarely dressed for the Bears and made only four catches on the year. All of them coming in the same game. Yet it’s that game that caught the attention of head coach Matt Nagy and is a big reason Wims is a favorite for biggest sleeper going into training camp.
Javon Wims led all pass-catchers in the league in receiving yards (227) through the 2018 preseason, but he saw limited action during the regular season, hauling in four catches for 32 yards in four appearances. The 2018 seventh-rounder out of Georgia may push for a bigger role in the upcoming term; Nagy took note, per Adam Jahns of The Athletic.
“This game is about opportunities, and he’s got a great opportunity in front of him,” Nagy said. “Javon is a guy who knows all of our positions. He’s smart. He’s got great hands, and you saw last year at the end of that Minnesota Vikings game, he made some big catches.”
Two Javon Wims catches proved he can play on Sundays
Nagy is referring to a particular drive in the season finale in Minnesota. The Bears held a slim 13-10 lead at the start of the 4th quarter. The Vikings needed a win to make the playoffs. They’d scored a touchdown on their previous drive. Chicago knew they couldn’t afford to give the ball back too quickly. Instead they conducted one of their best drives of the year. A soul-crushing 75-yard march that took 9 minutes and 5 seconds to complete.
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A guy who was a big hero on that drive? Wims. He made two huge catches during the sequence, both to convert 3rd downs. The first was a 16-yard play in which he fought off Trae Waynes on 3rd and 6. Then a few plays later, he took advantage of soft coverage on a quick out for nine yards to convert a 3rd and 7. Two plays later the Bears were in the end zone.
For a rookie to perform like that, on the road, against a good defense that was playing with far more desperation? It proves that Wims understands how to keep a cool head under pressure and execute. The fact he did it as a rookie makes it even more impressive. This kid can play and he has no plans to let another season pass by without getting in on the action. Don’t be surprised if you hear his name called a lot more this season.
