Two years after the Jets drafted him within the second spherical, Denzel Mims desires out.
The large receiver has requested a commerce from the Jets, his agent Ron Slavin stated Thursday.
“It’s simply time,” Slavin stated in a press release to The Submit. “Denzel has tried in good religion however it’s clear he doesn’t have a future with the Jets. Denzel vowed to return again higher than ever this season and he labored extraordinarily laborious within the offseason to make that occur. Nonetheless, he has been given no alternatives with the beginning offense to get right into a groove with them. We really feel at this level a commerce is our solely possibility, because the Jets have repeatedly informed us they won’t launch him. Joe Douglas has at all times completed proper by Denzel and we belief that he’ll do the whole lot in his energy to seek out one other staff the place Denzel is usually a contributor.”
The query of whether or not Mims would make the roster or if the Jets ought to commerce him has lingered over the staff’s coaching camp. Groups should minimize their rosters to 53 gamers on Tuesday and plenty of trades will occur across the league earlier than then.
Douglas drafted Mims within the second spherical of the 2020 Draft with the 59th total decide. He performed in 9 video games as a rookie and had 23 catches for 357 yards, exhibiting flashes of potential. All the teaching employees that drafted him was fired after that season and Mims by no means appeared to earn the belief of Robert Saleh or his employees.
A bout of meals poisoning within the spring of 2021 saved Mims out of a lot of the spring program. He misplaced 20 kilos on the time and it took him some time to regain his energy. When coaching camp got here, he was buried on the depth chart and appeared to be within the coaches’ doghouse. He performed 11 video games in 2021, catching eight passes for 133 yards. He was a wholesome inactive in two video games early within the season. A bout with COVID damage him late.
Jets coaches appeared to have a difficulty together with his work ethic and a focus to element.
Saleh and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur heaped reward on Mims when this spring and summer time concerning the sort of form he returned to the Jets in after the offseason. Nonetheless, Mims practiced principally with the second- and third-teams, hardly ever taking part in with beginning quarterback Zach Wilson when he was wholesome.
Mims is simply 24 years previous and has uncommon bodily items, so he ought to draw curiosity from different groups. The 6-foot-3, 207-pounder ran a 4.38 40-yard sprint popping out of Baylor. He was identified for successful contested catches and confirmed a few of that potential as a rookie.
However he has been buried on the depth chart within the final two years. Since drafting Mims, the Jets have signed Corey Davis as a free agent, drafted Elijah Moore within the second spherical in 2021 and Garrett Wilson within the first spherical this yr. Additionally they re-signed Braxton Berrios to a free-agent deal this offseason. That has left Mims because the fifth large receiver at greatest and on most days Jeff Smith has been within the rotation earlier than him.
Mims caught three passes for 43 yards within the preseason recreation in opposition to the Falcons on Monday night time, together with a 27-yarder that arrange a subject purpose simply earlier than halftime. He was additionally flagged for an unlawful block on a punt return. The Jets have tried to discover a position on particular groups for Mims, one thing they worth for his or her substitute receivers. Within the Jets’ first preseason recreation in opposition to the Eagles, Mims had two catches for 25 yards. He additionally drew an unlawful formation penalty and had a drop.
