Chicago Bears: Javon Wims is making the most of his opportunity

With all the firepower on the Chicago Bears offense, one wide receiver is making his presence felt in training camp.

When the Chicago Bears opened up training camp in Bourbonnais, there was so much chatter about all of their offensive weapons. Specifically, there was a lot of focus on the incredibly deep crop of wide receivers — which was a stark contrast to the state of things just two short years ago.

However, most of that talk centered around Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Taylor Gabriel, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Riley Ridley. Heck, even Emanuel Hall and Marvin Hall were getting more consideration than second-year man Javon Wims, out of the University of Georgia.

The former seventh-round pick burst on the scene exactly one year ago in the Hall of Fame Game, against the Baltimore Ravens. In that game, Wims hauled in seven passes for 89 yards, showing off a variety of skills, including great speed, the ability to go across the middle, and as a deep threat.

But for one reason or another, Wims did not get many chances in the regular season until the final game against the Minnesota Vikings in which he again put those same skills on display. While he only went for four catches and 32 yards, he made some big catches in traffic to convert a first down and keep the chains moving.

Despite bookending the season with nice performances, he again was overlooked coming into 2019, even though some tagged him as a candidate to have a breakout year. However, he was not going to allow that to continue for long, as Wims has dominated so far in training camp.

If you’ve been following training camp on social media, you know that the reviews of Wims have been very positive. He appears to be getting a lot of separation in his routes and is catching practically everything thrown to him. He’s adjusting to the ball well and showing that versatility to take the top off the defense, but also be that trusted possession receiver across the middle.

The other thing that is very encouraging is that Mitchell Trubisky seems to be targeting him an awful lot. So while Miller has gotten off to a slower start than he’d like thus far, and Ridley remains out with a hamstring injury, Wims is grabbing ahold of the opportunity with both hands.

So in the span of just about a week, Wims has gone from rarely being talked about to being mentioned as a legitimate candidate to take over that fourth wide receiver spot. Bears fans should be very excited about Wims as he seems to have emerged as a legitimate weapon in this offense.