Denzel Mims looked poised to finally get a look from the Jets in Week 4, as New York was dealing with a depleted receiving core, but instead, the 2020 second-round pick’s peculiar trajectory continued.
After being inactive for two straight weeks, head coach Robert Saleh told reporters that Mims would get his opportunity against the Titans, but instead, he was targeted zero times and was on the field for just 10 plays. Now, with Elijah Moore working his way back from a concussion, Mims could find himself inactive once again against the Falcons.
Saleh said part of Mims’ lack of playing time was due to illness during training camp, a reasoning that shouldn’t hold much weight now that we’re nearly five weeks into the regular season. Whatever the Jets’ reasoning, it’s one that has Mims admittedly frustrated.
“Of course it’s frustrating,” Mims told reporters on Thursday. “I’m a competitive player. Every player wants to be a starter. But everything doesn’t go your way. I just have to control what I can control and just come in each and every day and put good things on tape and hold my head high, and just be positive.”
Mims was back at practice on Thursday after missing Wednesday due to a non-COVID illness, and continues to try and prove himself as worthy for playing time on game days, after logging 357 receiving yards as a rookie. But so far this season, he has been targeted just once.
“We got a really good room. That’s a credit to Joe [Douglas] and his staff and what they’ve been able to build,” Saleh said Wednesday. “But this isn’t an indictment on Denzel. It’s just that there’s guys right now who’ve been available.”
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Mims has talked to Saleh and the staff about what it would take to make himself available for more looks on Sundays, though he wouldn’t go into detail about the specifics of those discussions.
“We talked about that multiple times,” Mims said. “That’s something I’d rather keep between us, but I know what they want, and I’m doing everything I can to do everything right to do what they want and need me to do.”
There is plenty of time left in the season to make an impact, but the organization’s handling of Mims to begin his sophomore season is puzzling, and Mims can only continue to show up and hold onto the belief that he will eventually get his chance.
“I never lack that. You can’t play this game if you don’t have confidence,” Mims said. “That’s one thing that I learned growing up…You never can lack confidence. You can never do that, because you've defeated yourself at that point.”
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