Denzel Mims falling on depth chart, future with New York Jets uncertain

Wide receiver Denzel Mims was a highly productive player in his four years at Baylor. After being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Mims now finds himself buried on the New York Jets depth chart. Mims’ future in New York is now in question.

Injuries forced Mims to miss a good portion of his rookie season

At Baylor, Mims caught 186 passes for 2,925 yards and 28 touchdowns, averaging 15.7 yards per reception. He was a 1,000-yard receiver in his sophomore and senior seasons. The Jets drafted him in the second round hoping that he’d become a weapon on an offense that lacked playmakers.

Mims suffered a couple of hamstring issues as a rookie, and he only appeared in nine games as a result. He did receive at least seven targets with 62+ yards in three consecutive games in November. Overall, Mims had an underwhelming rookie season. On the year, he finished with 23 receptions on 44 targets with 357 yards and no touchdowns.

Jamison Crowder, Vyncint Smith and Braxton Berrios are three receivers that return to the Jets that appear to be above Mims on the depth chart, according to ESPN staff writer Rich Cimini. The Jets also signed Corey Davis and Keelan Cole while drafting Elijah Moore out of Ole Miss in the second round of the NFL Draft.

The sudden depth in the wide receiver room has resulted in Mims playing with the second- and third-team offense, Cimini says. Mims also did not play a single snap on special teams last season, while Berrios and Smith did. Six Jets receivers got first-team action on Thursday, and Mims was not one of them.

The Jets are transitioning to a new offensive scheme

Mims came out of Baylor as a receiver with good size and speed. He was not a great route runner. That is now a key part of the Jets’ new west coast offensive scheme, Cimini says.

“It’s different because in this system, we’re much tighter and we’re more in a phone booth as wide receivers,” said Jets head coach Robert Saleh. “It’s not just playing out in space and having easy releases and having wiggle room. There’s a lot more fighting for leverage. Your lower half comes into play a heck of a lot more, especially when you’re in a phone booth.

“Then there’s the blocking aspect of it and the strain we ask these guys to block, front side and back side. His route running is improving. It’s different because he’s coming in from a different location than what he’s used to, being out there with normal spacing. He’s getting better, he’s put together a couple of good days and he’s working his tail off.”

Whether or not Mims begins the season as a New York Jet remains to be seen. For now, he sits towards the bottom of the depth chart and has serious work to do to catch up.

Image courtesy of: Al Pereira via Getty Images.