New York Jets: Denzel Mims a candidate to be traded?

The New York Jets spent a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on Denzel Mims. Is he not a fit for their new offensive scheme in 2021?

There has already been plenty of change for the New York Jets in the 2021 offseason, so what’s a little bit more? Not all change is welcome, however, especially from the perspective of fans.

The New York Jets traded down from the 48th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to pick number 59 overall. The Seattle Seahawks moved up to select Darrell Taylor in that 48th slot, and Chase Claypool went 49th overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

At pick 59, the New York Jets selected Denzel Mims, who seemed like an outstanding value at the time.

Now, it seems as though the Jets might be close to moving on from the former Baylor star who had a great 2020 Senior Bowl and ran a blazing 4.38 in the 40-yard dash.

According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Mims has been buried on the Jets’ depth chart at the receiver position which is not a great sign that he’s won any favor with new offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. The Jets do not exactly have an embarrassment of riches at wide receiver, but they have a pretty clear “top three” with free agent acquisition Corey Davis assuming WR1 duties, rookie Elijah Moore having an outstanding offseason, and veteran Jamison Crowder providing a nice fail-safe from the slot.

Mims would have obviously been one of the players many expected to have a big leap in year two but his style of play is apparently not what the Jets require, per Cimini’s report.

As a vertical threat, Mims will undoubtedly have a role somewhere in the NFL. A team like the New Orleans Saints should be calling around daily at this point with Michael Thomas’ injury and asking about the price on players like this. Anything on day three should be a done deal.

Still, the Jets may wait a bit longer and hope that Mims puts some big-time stuff on tape in the preseason to convince either themselves or another team that he’s worth more than his current going rate.

Trading a second-year second-round pick is not exactly common around the NFL, so the fact that Mims could be on the block is definitely noteworthy at this point. Ultimately, the Jets also have to consider the possibility of any injuries to their top three guys and the fact that Mims might be better insurance than anyone else on the roster, simply from a pure talent standpoint.

If the team has, in fact, moved on from Mims internally, there should be no shortage of suitors willing to throw a day three draft dart the New York Jets’ way to get that potential in their building.