Bears vs Ravens game ball goes to Javon Wims

Rookie wide receiver Javon Wims had himself a heck of a debut for the Chicago Bears last night in Chicago’s narrow 17-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Hall OF Fame Game. The final score was secondary to the countless players trying to impress enough to win a spot on the 53-man roster, and no player stood out more for the Bears than Wims.

He was targeted once by Chicago quarterback Chase Daniel in the first half, but he did all his damage after halftime with QB Tyler Bray. In the second half he was targeted nine more times, and he caught seven of them for 89 yards.

The 6’4”, 215 pounder was a seventh round pick out of Georgia where he caught 45 balls for 720 yards last year. Some scouts pegged him as nothing more than a go up and get it wide out based on his past basketball skills, but he showed a wide variety of routes last night. He’s had a really solid camp thus far, so it was good to see that carry over to the first preseason game.

What I saw last night was a big player that understands how to use his size to get open, and when you couple that with his hand catching, you have some intriguing skills to work with.

“They said I’m not fast enough. They said I can’t run routes. They said I played in an offense that ran the ball dominantly. I mean, the list goes on,” Wims told Adam Hoge of WGN.

Wims’ knowledge and crispness in his route running is something he’s working on, and with a chip on his shoulder I wouldn’t bet against him.

It’s far too early to call 23-year old a roster lock, but he definitely put himself in the front of the line among the young receivers looking to impress.

You can every one of Wims’ targets right here.