Getty Zach Wilson #4 of the Denver Broncos.
The Denver Broncos finalized their 53-man roster for the regular season ahead of Week 1.
That does not mean tweaks and plans for the future are not still made during the campaign. The Broncos brought in four wide receivers for workouts, including one of quarterback Zach Wilson’s former New York Jets teammates.
“#Broncos worked out Kaden Davis, Leon Johnson, Lance McCutcheon and Denzel Mims,” KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson reported on X on September 10.
The Jets selected Mims with the No. 59 overall pick of the 2020 draft.
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He spent the first three seasons of his career in New York, including the 2021 and 2022 seasons as teammates with Wilson (and 2020 with lineman John Franklin-Myers). The Jets traded Mims to the Detroit Lions in July 2023 but he was waived due to injury in August of that year.
Mims landed on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad in October where he finished out the 2023 season.
The Steelers signed Mims to a reserve/futures contract in January but waived him one day later.
He latched on with the Jacksonville Jaguars in June but was among their pre-deadline roster cuts at the end of August. Mims has 42 receptions for 676 yards in his four-year career, last catching a pass in a regular season game in 2022.
He has never caught a touchdown pass during the regular season or caught better than 52.3% of the passes thrown his way, per Pro Football Reference.
Despite having the same last name, Mims and Broncos receiver Marvin Mims are not related.
Denzel Mims Fits Broncos’ WR Room
GettyDenzel Mims #11 of the New York Jets.
The 6-foot-3 Mims would fit the theme of the Broncos’ wide receiver room, where four of the five players currently on the roster are listed at the same height or taller. Two of the three receivers on the practice squad are also 6-foot-3 or taller.
The Broncos leaned into that in the season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
During the NFL Annual Meeting in March, Broncos head coach Sean Payton said that he expected Mims to see an uptick in snaps following Jerry Jeudy’s trade to the Cleveland Browns.
He finished with the fifth-most snaps at the position versus Seattle. Veteran starters Courtland Sutton and Josh Reynolds finished ahead of him in snaps in the game. So did undrafted rookie free agent Devaughn Vele and veteran practice squad call-up Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
Rookie fourth-round draft pick Troy Franklin Jr. (6-foot-3) was inactive in Week 1.
Broncos Work Out 2022 Training Camp Member
GettyWide receiver Kaden Davis #39 of the Arizona Cardinals.
Davis (6-foot-1) is a familiar face. He spent the 2022 training camp with the Broncos as an undrafted rookie free agent. He has also spent time with the Lions and Arizona Cardinals. McCutcheon has yet to record a stat in the regular season.
McCutcheon was a rookie UDFA with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.
He saw action in 10 games as a rookie, starting one contest. McCutcheon finished the campaign with 0 receptions. He also had nearly twice as many snaps on special teams as he saw on offense.
Johnson is a 6-foot-3 rookie UDFA out of Oklahoma State. He spent one season with the Cowboys, transferring in from D-III school George Fox in January 2023. Bringing in Mims and the others shows the Broncos are still prioritizing size over speed at the wide receiver position.
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Broncos Bring In Zach Wilson’s Former Teammate for Workout: Report