The Dallas Cowboys keep mining the spring pro football leagues for talent — including players getting another shot at NFL glory.
The Cowboys made a flurry of roster moves on Thursday, headlined by signing 6-foot-3, 209-pound wide receiver and former 2nd-round pick Denzel Mims, who has spent the lat 2 seasons in the UFL with the St. Louis BattleHawks and Dallas Renegades.
“The Cowboys have agreed to terms with 3 UFL players: WR Denzel Mims, CB Ameer Speed, OL Chris Glaser, per sources,” ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote on X on Thursday. “To make room, Matt Hennessy to IR and DB Corey Ballentine and WR Romello Brinson have been released. One roster spot remains open as training camp awaits. Cowboys have had some success in finding players from spring football: Brandon Aubrey, KaVontae Turpin. Perrion Winfrey made opening day roster last year before injury.”
“Dallas Renegades WR Denzel Mims is staying put in the same city and playing for the Cowboys!” UFL reporter Anthony Miller wrote on his official X account on Thursday.
While the Cowboys have arguably the NFL’s best 1-2 punch at wide receiver with NFL All-Pros CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, there’s no one on the roster at wide receiver behind those 2 that’s anything close to a lock beyond those 2.
“The Denzel Mims dream lives on,” NFL reporter Connor Livesay wrote on his official X account on Thursday.
Denzel Mims Had Best Season as Rookie for Jets
Mims, 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, was a 2nd round pick (No. 59 overall) by the New York Jets in the 2020 NFL draft out of Baylor and played 3 seasons for the Jets before he was traded to the Detroit Lions before the 2023 season.
Mims was cut by the Lions right before the start of the regular season and spent time on the practice squads for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023 and 2024 before making his move to the UFL.
In 3 seasons, Mims has 42 receptions for 676 yards and zero touchdowns, including career highs of 23 receptions for 357 yards as a rookie in 2020 — when he played in a career-low 9 games.
Mims Seemed Like Future Star Coming Out of Baylor
Mims looked like a future NFL star at Baylor, where he had 182 receptions for 2,901 yards and 28 touchdowns over his final 3 seasons, including a pair of 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2017 and 2019, when he earned All-Big 12 honors.
He gave his draft stock a massive boost by running the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds at the NFL scouting combine. NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein correctly predicted Mims would be a 2nd round pick in the pre-draft evaluation he wrote in 2020.
“Mims is a long-striding outside target with excellent height, weight and speed and an insane catch-radius,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s a touchdown threat anytime he’s near the red zone, with the focus and body control to finesse and finish catches above the rim. He struggles to release and separate from physical press corners, and he doesn’t consistently compete and outwork opponents for positioning on contested catches. If the route work and intensity catch up with his natural athletic ability, he could become a dangerous ‘Z’ receiver in a vertical offense, but the floor might be lower than some teams are comfortable with.”
Cowboys Sign 6-foot-3, 209-Pound Former 2nd Round Pick