Getty The Detroit Lions waived Denzel Mims with an injury designation on August 18.
The tenure of wide receiver Denzel Mims with the Detroit Lions has already come to an end.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on August 18 that the Lions waived Mims with an injury designation. The former second-round pick sustained an ankle injury in practice on August 5 and had practiced sparingly since then.
The Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett confirmed the Lions’ plan to release Mims.
The #Lions are waiving/injured WR Denzel Mims after a practice ankle injury led to a calf injury in rehab, source said. He had impressed in camp and could be an interesting addition when healthy.
Lions waived WR Denzel Mims, who they acquired in a trade with the Jets last month, w/an injury designation. Mims hasn’t been on the field much of late & Dan Campbell hinted this was coming. Thought he did some good things at the start of camp, especially on special teams
Detroit waiving Mims comes less than one month after the Lions acquired him from the New York Jets for a conditional sixth-round pick.
To replace Mims, the Lions also announced on August 18 that they have signed former Los Angeles Chargers wideout Jason Moore.
Lions Save Draft Pick by Waiving Denzel Mims
Rapoport and NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported the Lions agreed to swap a 2025 sixth-round draft pick for a 2025 seventh-round selection in the exchange for Mims on July 20. But the deal was also conditional according to Tom Pelissero.
“The condition on the pick swap is that Mims makes Detroit’s 53-man roster,” Pelissero wrote on Twitter. “So it’s a free look at a player who was talented enough to go 59th overall in 2020 and should be plenty motivated in a contract year.”
The Jets drafted Mims in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. He posted 23 receptions for 357 yards as a rookie, but his playing time decreased every season after that.
Last year, Mims had 11 catches for 186 yards. He played a career low 270 offensive snaps.
Rapoport wrote on Twitter that Mims looked “impressive” at training camp, but the injury obviously caused the Lions to go in a different direction for their roster’s wide receiver depth. By doing so, Detroit voids the terms of the trade with the Jets.
Lions Sign WR Jason Moore
To replace Mims, the Lions signed a wideout who came into the league in nearly the exact opposite way.
Moore signed with the Chargers after going unselected in the 2019 NFL draft. But like Mims, Moore received a majority of his playing time as a rookie.
In 2019, he caught 2 passes for 43 yards on 5 targets. He played 75 snaps on offense and 91 snaps on special teams. Moore has never played that many snaps again in a season for either unit.
Last year, he lined up for 54 snaps on offense and 25 snaps on special teams in six games. Moore hauled in 1 pass for 5 yards on 2 targets.
Birkett projected that Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kalif Raymond, Josh Reynolds and Marvin Jones are all but guaranteed to hold spots on Detroit’s Week 1 roster. Jameson Williams will be serving his suspension at that time, but he may also be dealing with an injury. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on August 17 that Williams is likely to miss the remainder of the preseason because of a hamstring injury
Moore will probably compete with Dylan Drummond, Chase Cota and Trinity Benson for the fifth and possibly final wide receiver spot on Detroit’s roster. According to head coach Dan Campbell, it’s anyone’s competition.
“This room is wide open right now. I mean, we’ve got a pretty good feel of some of these guys, but we have a spot, potentially two, wide open. Wide open,” Campbell told reporters on August 17. “Cota, you want it, go get it. Drummond, you want it, go get it. Who knows? Trinity Benson, we’re going to get him back (from injury) a little bit today, running around.
“So our eyes are wide open and we’re looking for guys and we have a track record in a three-year period here, it doesn’t matter where you’ve been drafted, who you are, what it is, you’ve got an opportunity. If you want to go earn it, go get it.”