Getty WR Javon Wims was ejected for punching an opponent Week 8 of last season.
When Chicago Bears wide receivers coach Mike Furrey met with the media over Zoom last week, two things stood out. The first was that Furrey was far more complimentary of third-year wide receiver Anthony Miller than he has been in years past.
“He’s starting to understand defenses and coverages and leverages — that stuff, it’s not just playground,” Furrey said about Miller. “Now everything’s slowing down for him from a route-running standpoint. He gets in meetings, he can respond, he can communicate. He’s not tucking his hat down and [giving] one-word answers.”
Furrey seemed much more confident in Miller this year than he did last, but another thing also stood out — what Furrey said about another third-year wide receiver, Javon Wims.
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Furrey on Wims: We’ll See How Bad He Wants it…
Furrey discussed the team’s other receivers, and he wasn’t as complimentary when it came to Wims, saying that he and the team were about to see how much Wims wanted it over the next few weeks in training camp. It was almost glaring in contrast to how much praise Furrey heaped on Miller and Allen Robinson by comparison.
#Bears WR coach Mike Furrey talked about Javon Wims going into his third season. Says we are going to find out how bad he wants it over these next few weeks.
The Bears are currently stacked at the wide receiver position. They have Miller, Wims, Robinson, Ted Ginn Jr., Darnell Mooney, second-year Georgia product Riley Ridley, Cordarrelle Patterson, Trevor Davis and Reggie Davis currently listed on the depth chart. Wims has made the roster each of the past two years, but the additions of Mooney and Ginn make his future in Chicago murkier than ever.
Furrey has been complimentary about Wims in the past, and he wasn’t insulting when talking about the wideout, but this felt more like a challenge than anything else, a throwing down of the proverbial gauntlet.
Wims Has Been Working Hard This Offseason…Will it Be Enough?
Chicago selected Wims in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and there have been moments and flashes where he looked like he could develop into a solid role-playing receiver. The final game of the 2018 season against the Vikings, for example. Wims had seven catches for 89 yards against Minnesota, and it looked like the Bears may have found a potential gem in the seventh round.
Unfortunately for Wims, his 2019 campaign was unremarkable, his drops were far too frequent and the team also drafted Riley Ridley in the fourth round. Ridley barely saw the field last season, but he may be developing in a way the Bears coaches like. And that could leave Wims as the odd man out.
Wims’ size (he’s 6’3″, 215 pounds) is a definite asset, but his route-running still needs work, and he has consistently had a hard time shaking defenders off at the line since college. He has been working out hard this offseason if his social media pages are any indication, but there are no guarantees he’ll make the roster this year unless he stands out and impresses in a big way.
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Bears Coach Subtly Suggests Third-Year WR Is on the Hot Seat