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When the Chicago Bears signed veteran wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. to a one-year deal in early May, they added a savvy veteran who will give their receiving corps extra depth with some additional speed to boot. Despite being 35-years-old, Ginn says he hasn’t lost much speed-wise, and he thinks it could still be his best asset.
“I can still run. That’s my attribute. I can run. I can catch. I can jump. Don’t let the age and the years fool you,” Ginn said via digital conference call last week. Ginn joins a wide receivers room that features Allen Robinson as the team’s No. 1 wideout, with Anthony Miller as the team’s No. 2, but after that, it gets a bit murky. Chicago released speedster Taylor Gabriel, and they traded up to snag wideout Darnell Mooney in the fifth round this year. Mooney and Ginn should both be speed guys and deep threats for the Bears, which should fill Gabriel’s vacated role.
The details of Ginn’s contract were recently released, and per Over the Cap, he is slated to make almost $900,000 in fully guaranteed money this season, which means he’ll very likely be a roster lock. His contract leaves Chicago with enough money to extend Allen Robinson and sign another free agent or two, but it also means one of the team’s young wideouts will likely be left behind.
What Does Ginn’s Contract Mean for Riley Ridley, Javon Wims, & Other Bears’ WRs?
All-Pro returner and special teamer Cordarelle Patterson is technically listed as a wideout despite his Swiss Army Knife tendencies, so he’ll fill a roster spot at the position. Ginn, Miller and Robinson are also locks to make the team, and Mooney should be, as well. That will leave former Georgia wideouts Javon Wims and Riley Ridley fighting for the final spot.
Right now, the Bears also currently have Alex Wesley, Trevor Davis, Thomas Ives, Reggie Davis and Ahmad Wagner on the roster. Wesley and Ives spent time on the team’s practice squad last year, and the Bears signed former Packer Davis this offseason to add competition. At least two or three of the five should make the practice squad, with Ives and Wagner the likely favorites there. But who has the edge to make the roster between Wims and Ridley?
Javon Wims or Riley Ridley? A Breakdown
Wims is the more experienced of the two and he knows Matt Nagy’s offense far better. He is entering his third season, and after seeing very limited action his rookie year, he started six games in 2019. He caught 18 passes on 39 targets for 186 yards and his first career touchdown, and at 6’2″ and 221 lbs., his size is a definite asset. Wims was a seventh-round pick for the Bears in 2018, though, and the team invested more in Ridley in terms of draft capital. He caught just over 46 percent of the balls that were thrown his way last year, and that will likely hurt him moving forward.
Chicago selected Ridley in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he was considered to be a steal when they snagged him there. It’s hard to believe the Bears would give up on Ridley so soon. He played in just five games his rookie season, starting none. He caught six passes on seven targets for 69 yards (that’s an 85.7 percent catch percentage) and his potential seems to be more limitless than Wims’. Ridley is 6-1, 200 lbs., and isn’t as big as Wims, but he is faster and a far better route-runner.
It’ll be one of the more intriguing roster battles to keep an eye on this season, but my gut says the Bears stick with Ridley.
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