Hollywood might want to consider filming a documentary on the curious case of New York Jets wide receiver Denzel Mims.
How did a talented second-year wideout go from a promising building block to the dog house? It is strange, sad, and overall disappointing.
On Sunday everything came to a head with a “straight-up benching” as Rich Cimini of ESPN put it versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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From Starting Lineup to the Bench
Everyone thought it was strange at the beginning of the year when Mims barely played and it seemed like a huge controversy. What don’t the coaches like about Mims?
After an array of injuries took out Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, and most recently Jamison Crowder the second-year wideout out of Baylor got his chance to shine.
Although we quickly learned what the coaches must have known since the offseason: drops, lack of playbook knowledge, and mental lapses.
Despite missing several key pieces offensively, Mims didn’t play a single snap vs the Bucs. Here is everyone who played over him (snaps in parentheses):
- Jeff Smith (58)
- Keelan Cole (53)
- Braxton Berrios (49)
- DJ Montgomery (3)
After the game head coach Robert Saleh was asked about the benching:
“I don’t have that answer right now.”
A day later during his open availability with the media, Saleh was asked again about why Mims didn’t play in the game versus Tampa Bay and he didn’t exactly provide a ringing endorsement:
“The opportunity to get him on the field never presented itself.” He then praised all the other backup wide receivers on the roster for stepping up to the plate.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement by #Jets HC Robert Saleh when asked why WR Denzel Mims didn’t play a snap vs #GoBucs, ‘the opportunity to get him on the field never presented itself’: 😐 yikes #TBvsNYJ #TakeFlight #NFL
A Trade Appears Imminent
In a recent ESPN column, Cimini said that Mims “could be heading south on the road to Bust town.”
A harsh, but accurate assessment of his fall from grace over the last calendar year. Despite his struggles, Mims is still young (24) and cheap (two more years on his contract for less than $2.5 million).
Someone is going to take a chance on him this offseason via trade.
“Mims needs a change of scenery,” Brian Costello said on the Gang’s All Here Podcast. “It just isn’t going to work with the Jets or this coaching staff. I think he has a good skill set and he could do better somewhere else, but it won’t happen here. I could see him being traded on the second night of the draft for like a fifth-round pick or something.”
General manager Joe Douglas always seems to get more in return than most people think in trades, so we’ll see if he can make magic once again. For example, no one thought that Jamal Adams could return one first-round pick, let alone two, and change thrown on top but that is exactly what happened in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks.
A trade could be a win-win for both sides in this Mims situation.
Things clearly haven’t meshed between the Jets coaching staff and Mims. He is clearly talented and possesses all the same traits that dazzled NFL people in his rookie campaign.
It seems like an end is inevitable and hopefully, the Jets can get some type of return on investment and Mims can reach his full potential for another ballclub.
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Jets Promising Youngster Benched, ‘Needs to Be Traded’: Report