It’s long felt as if Javon Wims has been skating on thin ice in Chicago.
The 2018 seventh-round pick hasn’t taken the steps in his development that some might have come to expect from a player with such a unique prospect background. But on top of that, his double-punching of C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the Bears’ regular-season loss to the Saints, as well as his touchdown drop in the playoff loss, put the Georgia product under a microscope. Sprinkle in a few missteps in this preseason, and it all adds up to what once felt inevitable actually happening:
#Bears roster moves:
We have waived WR Javon Wims and have signed DB Dionte Ruffin.— Chicago Bears (@BearsPR) August 26, 2021
To be clear, waiving Javon Wims isn’t solely about his prior foibles. Chicago brought in free agents Marquise Goodwin and Damiere Byrd to fortify the room in free agency. The team also saw Rodney Adams flash while catching passes from Andy Dalton and Justin Fields. Even recently, the Bears found themselves adding to the room by picking up Isaiah Coulter off the scrap heap. Wims’ cut is as much about the numbers game not being in his favor as it is about the laundry list of missteps that came before this. Although, I’d bet the prior experiences played a major role in this decision.
The Bears wasted no time in filling Wims’ roster spot, re-signing defensive back Dionte Ruffin to the roster. There is no such thing as having too much help in the secondary, even if it is just to get through one final preseason game.