Javon Wims’ suspension lifted, gets roster exemption

Bears receiver Javon Wims’ two-game suspension was lifted by the NFL on Tuesday.

The Bears requested, and received, a roster exemption from the league that expires on Thursday. That sets a deadline for the team to add him back to its 53-man roster or cut him.

Wims was ejected — and later suspended — for throwing two punches to Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s helmet Nov. 1. Gardner-Johnson had torn off Wims’ mouthpiece earlier in the game, for which he was eventually fined. Wims told his coaches that Gardner-Johnson spat at him, though the safety denied it to reporters.

Receivers coach Mike Furrey had warned his players not to engage with Gardner-Johnson. Wims fought him on the next play.

“The way I handled that, the biggest thing was the communication,” Furrey said last year. “To learn a lesson that, when someone’s trying to protect you from maybe ruining your career, you need to listen.”