Chicago Bears Wide Receiver Competition On The Verge Of A Huge Upset

While the quarterback position has the competition everybody is watching, that doesn't mean it's the only one on the Chicago Bears roster. The wide receiver group has quite a sizable one of its own. Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller are fixed in place. One should imagine Ted Ginn Jr. and Darnell Mooney are also locked because of their speed value. Cordarrelle Patterson, though he's working out with the running backs a lot is still listed as a receiver. So he's in too. That could leave just one spot left open.

A spot six guys are trying to fill. Yet most would agree the two headliners in that battle are Riley Ridley and Javon Wims. Ridley is the Bears' 4th round pick from 2019. The younger brother of Falcons star Calvin Ridley, he has a nice mixture of size and strong hands. Receiver coach Mike Furrey sung his praises before training camp, stating he's made a ton of progress.

Wims was a 7th rounder in 2018 and flashed lots of playmaking potential over the past two years. Yet it never quite translated into serious production. Most felt he was on the hottest seat when camp started. Ridley being the younger player and a higher draft choice had the edge. Yet things have not played out as expected. Adam Jahns of The Athletic indicated the second-year receiver has not shown much progress.

"This was probably the most we’ve seen of Ridley at practice in the past week. He caught his pass from Foles against Stephen Denmark in the daily one-on-one drill where the whole team watches. He also had a drop and his route appeared to be the issue on one of Trubisky’s incomplete passes. It’s still early, but Ridley hasn’t necessarily flashed like we thought he might."

By contrast? Wims keeps popping up with a number of nice plays.

"Early in practice the offense ran a “special situation” drill. Mitch Trubisky punctuated his effort with a touchdown throw to Darnell Mooney. The quarterback emphatically pumped his fist (doesn’t everyone miss judging body language in Bears quarterbacks?) and went on to throw with a lot of zip in the “slot pass” drill, where he also threw a nice deep ball to Wims for a touchdown...

...On one of the last throws of the day, Nick Foles took the snap, turned to his right and threw to a spot. He hit Javon Wims in stride for a solid gain."

Chicago Bears could have a tough decision coming

This raises the obvious question. Would the Bears abandon a 4th round pick after just one season? To be fair, it wouldn't have to mean Ridley is forever gone from the team. They could put him on the practice squad were he to clear waivers in the event of being cut. Still, it's hard to imagine a player they thought so highly of falling out of favor that fast.

Then again the Bears have already parted ways with Leonard Floyd and Adam Shaheen. They no longer have the luxury of being patient with guys. Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace need players who are ready to step up right now. Wims appears up to that challenge. Ridley better start making things happen. Otherwise, he could find himself out of a job.