The Bears waived Javon Wims on Thursday, ending their affiliation with the receiver who infamously dropped a touchdown pass in their playoff loss to the Saints in January.
Wims suffered an oblique injury Saturday that the Bears initially suspected was appendicitis. He was on the outside looking in during the competition for the team’s sixth receiver spot; Rodney Adams is second in the NFL in preseason receiving yards.
Wims dropped what would have been a 40-yard touchdown pass in the end zone on a double reverse pass in the Jan. 10 playoff game. Then-quarterback Mitch Trubisky was lined up at receiver and threw the perfect pass, which would have tied the game at 7.
The receiver had been ejected from the Bears’ previous matchup against the Saints earlier in the season for punching safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Receiver Anthony Miller punched the same man in the playoffs, and was also ejected.
Wims punched Gardner-Johnson twice because he was mad at the cornerback for tearing off his mouthpiece earlier in the game. Wims told his coaches that Gardner-Johnson spat on him, though Gardner-Johnson denied it.
On the sideline, receivers coach Mike Furrey warned Wims not to retaliate — and he did on the next play.
The Bears took Wims, a Georgia alum, in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. In three seasons, he had 28 catches for 266 receiving yards. He caught one touchdown in each of the last two seasons.
The Bears must submit their final 53-man roster to the NFL by Tuesday at 3 p.m. Their last preseason game, which will feature few starters in action, is Saturday at the Titans.
With the open roster spot, the Bears re-signed cornerback Dionte Ruffin, whom they cut last week. Ruffin recovered a fumble in the first exhibition game.
