Getty Former New York Jets wide receiver Denzel Mims trying to make a play during an NFL game.
A former New York Jets wide receiver is back on the streets.
Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network shared on social media that the Pittsburgh Steelers are “waiving” wide receiver Denzel Mims. Garafolo revealed that Mims had been with the Steelers since October of 2023.
A Rough Road for Mims at the NFL Level
The former Baylor product originally entered the league as the No. 59 overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft.
Gang Green earned a ton of national praise for stealing Mims on day two of the draft when some folks projected him as a first-round draft choice that year.
“Obviously it was a very deep draft for receivers and from all the predictions, we thought Denzel would go late in the first round or maybe early in the second. So it was a real shock that he went late in the second round, but boy, what a coup for the Jets to get him that late,” John Werner of The Waco Tribune-Herald explained via the Jets. “I think he will have a chip on his shoulder. He’s a guy who likes challenges and I would expect him to have a pretty good rookie year.”
Despite the hype, Mims never lived up to the billing.
He played his first three seasons with the Jets from 2020-22. During that run, Mims caught 42 receptions for 676 receiving yards and never scored a touchdown.
Heading into his fourth season, the Jets hit the eject button and attached a conditional seventh-rounder in 2025 to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a conditional 2025 sixth-rounder.
Mims didn’t make the roster and was released in August of 2023. A few months later he inked a deal with the Steelers to join their practice squad. However, he is once again looking for work.
Jets Ineptitude in the Draft Continues at WR
To put it bluntly, the green and white haven’t had much success this century with wide receivers in the second round.
In 2021 the Jets selected Elijah Moore with the No. 34 overall pick in the second round. He was another player that people thought could’ve gone in the first round but he slipped through the cracks.
Moore appeared to be living up to the hype during the offseason and in spurts during the season, but issues arose. He complained about his involvement in the offense, there were issues with the coaching staff, and ultimately like Mims, he was jettisoned off via trade.
In 2015 the Jets selected Devin Smith out of Ohio State with the No. 37 overall pick. There were sky-high expectations that Smith could be another star from the Buckeyes, but he flopped with the Jets and bounced around the league for years.
Finally, in 2012, when this Jets second-round curse started, the team traded up to select Stephen Hill out of Georgia Tech with the No. 43 overall pick. Hill’s size (6-foot-5, 209 pounds) and speed (4.36 40-yard dash) wowed the Jets.
Sadly it was a classic case of more style than substance. Hill only lasted two years with the Jets and never appeared in a regular season game for any other NFL team after that.
Mims hoped to end that drought, but instead, he just became another name on the list.