Denzel Mims was a bright spot for the lowly 2020 New York Jets. He was selected in the second round of last year’s NFL Draft by the current Jets front office, and while he spent time out with injury, he showed off some real potential when he got onto the field.
He started eight of his nine appearances a year ago, catching 23 of his 44 targets. He racked up 357 yards, a strong 15.5 yards per reception. He also had just one drop on the year.
Most figured he remained in the Jets’ plans, as they’ve worked to build out a pretty intriguing young receiving corps around rookie quarterback Zach Wilson. They team signed Corey Davis from the Tennessee Titans, as well as productive former Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Keelan Cole. They joined veteran Jamison Crowder, young slot receiver Braxton Berrios, and rookie Elijah Moore, who dominated much of the offseason.
And yet, Mims has barely seen the field. He appeared in Week 1, catching his one target for a 40 yard gain, before being left off the active roster for two weeks. Last week against the Tennessee Titans, he was active once again but went untargeted. On the season, he’s played just 13 total snaps. This week, he spoke to the media for the first time, and tried to keep his focus on moving forward with the team.
One thing Denzel Mims hasn’t lost during this stretch – his confidence.
“You never can lack confidence, because you’ve defeated yourself at that point.” pic.twitter.com/RQ1v9LnVlp
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) October 7, 2021
“Of course it’s frustrating. I’m a competitive player,” Denzel Mims admitted, per the New York Post. “Every player wants to start, wants to be a starter. But everything don’t go your way.”
Mims says that the team has made it clear what they want from him, even if that isn’t totally clear to the rest of us.
“I know what they want,” Mims said. “I’m doing everything I can to get everything right and give them what they want.”
Mims indicated that an offseason dealing with food poisoning kept him from learning the new offense, and he had to gain back 20 pounds that he lost. That may put him behind many of the other receivers, as does his lack of play on special teams, which is a big issue with limited roster space.
Right now, it isn’t clear if he’ll be active for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons in London on Sunday.
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