When head coach Dan Campbell said things like "he's in the room" and "I wish I could give you more when talking about wide receiver Denzel Mims on Thursday, it was almost set in stone. And on Friday, as first reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Detroit Lions waived Mims.
As we already knew and Rapoport reported, Mims had been dealing with a leg injury recently. But Rapoport added that rehabbing the ankle injury led to a calf injury.
The Lions acquired Mims in a trade from the New York Jets a month ago, with the hopes he could bolster their wide receiver depth. A change of scenery was certainly overdue for him. He got off to a nice start by looking good early in camp, but he pretty much had not practiced at all in two weeks and of course he missed the preseason opener against the New York Giants.
The Mims trade carried no risk for the Lions. The conditional 2025 sixth-round pick they agreed to send to the Jets (as part of a pick swap, actually) was contingent on him making their 53-man roster, which of course now he will now not do. So it's as if the deal never happened, with neither team losing anything.
Lions waive Denzel Mims, sign Jason Moore
Jameson Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Maurice Alexander are currently dealing with injuries in the Lions' wide receiver room. Campbell hinted an additiion could be coming in the same breadth as talking not-so positively about Mims, and it felt certain--if only to get through two preseason games with enough bodies at wide receiver.
Aaron Wilson of KPRC reported the Lions have their replacement for Mims--former Charger Jason Moore.
Jason Moore joins #Lions per league source one week after he worked out for team. Wide receiver need increased with Denzel Mims being sidelined with injuries and he is now being waived-injured @KPRC2 https://t.co/uSpCMQrmBP
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 18, 2023
The 28-year-old Moore has spent most of the last four seasons on the Chargers' practice squad after going undrafted in 2019, playing a total of 20 games. He played collegiately at Division II Findlay, with big seasons in 2016 (71 receptions for 1,115 yards and 15 touchdowns) and 2017 (65 catches for 980 yards and 14 touchdowns).