LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears released wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. on Wednesday, the team announced.
The Bears expected Ginn to be a weapon on offense when they signed him to a one-year deal in May. Instead, Ginn played only 62 offensive snaps and caught just three passes for 40 yards before the Bears severed ties with the 14-year veteran.
Ginn was a healthy scratch on two occasions, including Sunday's loss to Ginn's former team, the New Orleans Saints.
The final straw for Ginn occurred in Week 7 in a Monday night game at the Los Angeles Rams, when Ginn let several punts bounce deep inside Chicago territory that coach Matt Nagy felt Ginn could have at least fair caught. Ginn replaced Tarik Cohen, who went on injured reserve after Week 3, as the Bears' primary punt returner but failed to generate any serious productivity.
"We're not seeing some of that stuff that we're used to seeing [on punt return]," Nagy said Oct. 27. "And that happens sometimes when you have an elite player like Tarik back there."
Following Ginn's shaky punt-return performance versus the Rams, the Bears added veteran returner Dwayne Harris to the practice squad and elevated him to the active roster the day before Chicago hosted New Orleans. Harris returned punts against the Saints while the Bears made Ginn inactive.
The Bears were Ginn's sixth NFL team, after stints with the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals and Saints.
The 35-year-old has 412 career receptions for 5,742 yards and 33 touchdowns.