One of the most annoying topics for New York Jets fans has been the usage, or lack thereof, for wide receiver Denzel Mims.
On the surface, he’s a former second-round pick that showed a ton of promise in his rookie season. Although despite that perceived hype train heading into 2021, there have been a lot more questions than answers.
Over the last two weeks, he has been deemed a healthy scratch and his path to playing time seemed long and arduous.
Although often in life there are forks and twists in the path that change your destiny. One of those moments happened early in game week as the Jets were preparing to turn the page from Week 3 to Week 4.
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A Change of Plans Creates a Magical Opportunity
It seemed like Mims would be forever trapped on the bench and there was no light at the end of the tunnel.
That was of course until the injury bug gave another kiss to the Jets.
On Monday, Jets head coach Robert Saleh was asked at the end of his press conference about whether or not this was the week we could see more Mims action:
“With Elijah Moore and Jamison [Crowder] being up in the air, for sure [we could see Mims]. We can keep trying to etch him out a role to get him on the field and produce.”
W/ Elijah Moore (concussion), Jamison Crowder (groin) up in the air #Jets HC Robert Saleh provided some optimism that they will ‘etch out a role’ for WR Denzel Mims (@Zel5Zelly) ‘to see if we can get him on the field and produce’: #TENvsNYJ #TakeFlight #Titans
Moore suffered a concussion vs the Denver Broncos. When a beat reporter told Saleh it’s pretty hard to come back from that in a week, the head coach didn’t shoot that down.
Also, Crowder has been battling a groin injury since the offseason and has yet to play in a game this season. It’s unclear if he will make his debut in Week 4 after Saleh called him “up in the air.”
With all of those injuries, it sounds like we may finally see the former Baylor product on the field. While it’s because of injuries as opposed to the coaches making that decision outright themselves, which is somewhat disappointing, Mims playing is still Mims playing.
Can He Keep the Gig Once He Gets It?
Mims will get a shot vs the Tennessee Titans in Week 4, but will he be able to keep it?
If the season opener is any indication, he certainly makes the most of his opportunities.
The second-year wideout played only three snaps and delivered with a reception for 40 yards. That is the Jets’ longest play from scrimmage through three games this season (courtesy of Joe Caporoso of the Badlands feed).
Not only are the Jets the worst scoring team in the NFL, but they’re the only professional football squad that is averaging single-digit points per game (6.7) through the first three weeks of the 2021 season.
Here are some other categories they’re sucking in offensively:
- 250 yards per game (third-worst in the league)
- Third worst passing offense (average passing yards per game)
- Fourth worst rushing offense (average rushing yards per game)
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Will inserting Mims into the lineup change anything offensively? I have no idea, but what the heck do they have to lose?
Mims is big (6-foot-3), fast (4.38 40-yard dash time), and makes plays. He can help Zach Wilson if he is on the football field. At the very least as a decoy if not as a serious red zone threat and a big-bodied receiver outside the numbers that can make a tough contested catch.
On Sunday he can remind the Jets’ brass that he is more than capable of being a key cog in this passing attack. When he does, hopefully, he can earn some consistent playing time moving forward.
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Jets Are Set to Finally Unleash WR Denzel Mims vs. Titans