NEW YORK — Jets fans have been clamoring for 2020 second-round pick Denzel Mims. On Sunday, they’ll get to see Mims in action when the Jets face the Titans at MetLife Stadium.
After being inactive against the Patriots and Broncos the last two weeks, Mims will be active Week 4.
“He’s going to get some opportunity. Hopefully he takes advantage of it and we’re expecting him to,” head coach Robert Saleh said Friday. “He’s stacked up a third consecutive week of great, deliberate practice. He’s really getting comfortable within the offense so we’re excited to see him.”
This has been a long time coming after Mims logged only three snaps against the Panthers in the opener and then sat out the next two games. However, he did have a 40-yard catch in the Week 1 loss despite the limited playing time. The Jets then made him inactive citing a crowded receiver room with Corey Davis, Braxton Berrios, Elijah Moore, Jeff Smith, Jamison Crowder and Keelan Cole.
Cole (knee) and Crowder (COVID-19) were out Week 1 which led to Mims even being active. But once Cole returned, Mims found himself in street clothes.
Moore has gotten a lot of snaps at outside receiver and Smith is the starting gunner on the punt team. But both are out against the Titans as they’re dealing with concussions. Moore got hurt in the third quarter of last Sunday’s shutout loss to the Broncos after landing on his head during a sideline tackle. Smith was hurt in a car accident on Wednesday on the way to practice.
So that freed up room for Mims to get back on the field. Crowder is also active this week after dealing with a groin injury, but he’s strictly a slot receiver. So he won’t interfere with Mims’ playing time.
Saleh also claimed Mims not knowing the slot and outside receiver spots contributed to his limited playing time.
“He’s got to know, when you’re not one of the main guys, you got to know all three spots and you’ve got to know it at a high level so you can step in and take advantage of all those opportunities,” Saleh said last month.
He attempted to walk-back that narrative on Friday.
“No, and maybe I did say that. I’m not sure if I did,” Saleh said.
“For him, it was the Z and X [spots]. The F, I mean we have enough Fs, right? We got Elijah, you got Berrios, you got Jamison,” the rookie head coach said. “But he’s comfortable in those spots and we’re comfortable to use him. ... You’re seeing the speed and athleticism that he has. So it’s just a matter of giving him those opportunities, taking it to Sunday and executing with his teammates and being the guy that we expect them to be.”
Mims, who started his rookie season on the injured reserve and missed five weeks due to a hamstring injury, has produced some big plays when he’s been on the field. The former Baylor star has produced five catches of more than 25 yards in his nine-game career. He’s averaging 16.5 yards per catch in the NFL.
Expect Cole to start, but Mims should get a good amount of snaps. We’ll see how much of a boost he can be to an offense that is averaging 6.7 points per game.
