Jets not ready to part ways with WR Denzel Mims

The New York Jets aren’t ready to move off of wideout Denzel Mims after drafting him in last year’s second round.

There were high hopes for Denzel Mims when he was coming out of Baylor as a second-round pick in 2020.

But a lot can change in a year.

A new Jets coaching staff is in place and additional acquisitions (via the draft and free agency) have been made. What seemed like a guy who could eventually be a top target for this organization may end up being the fifth-best option (behind Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, Jamison Crowder, and Keelan Cole).

But that doesn’t necessarily mean Mims is on his way out of Florham Park.

“There isn’t a player in this organization that anyone is ready to give up on,” head coach Robert Saleh said to the media Wednesday. “We’re in the second week of camp so they haven’t even gotten a chance to go against another roster yet. They’ve got three opportunities to go against other rosters and to continue to compete and establish themselves as what we want on this 53-man roster. Every single player is competing their tails off and they’re doing a really good job and I’m just excited for them to get an opportunity to go against a different colored jersey.”

Mims’ current situation isn’t entirely his fault, however.

The young wideout missed much of the spring due to food poisoning. This caused him to lose 20 pounds, 11 of which he’s gained back (per ESPN’s Rich Cimini).

“It set me back a lot because guys were practicing every day and I was dealing with an illness,” Mims told the media Wednesday. “I’m trying to do everything I can to make sure I bounce back so come Week 1, I’m ready to go.”

Mims experienced a bizarre commencement to his NFL career. A hamstring injury kept him out of the majority of last year’s training camp and he didn’t partake in a regular-season game until Week 7.

Combine that with the pandemic-impacted 2020 offseason program and you have a pretty detrimental start for Denzel.

But this year is set up to be different; the receiver is healthy, in training camp, and will have a trio of preseason games to further prove what he can bring to this Gang Green offense.

These will be the first preseason games he’ll be able to participate in since entering the league — he and the team understand how crucial they will be to his overall development.