The Detroit Lions have a broad question mark at wide receiver, outside of Amon-Ra St. Brown. Marvin Jones, Kalif Raymond and Josh Reynolds are fine, but Jameson Williams is a question mark until further notice. Rookie Antoine Green is an interesting wild card in the mix.
It seems like Denzel Mims has been teetering toward being off the New York Jets roster for a long time. In reality it's only been a couple years for the 2020 second-round pick, and the Jets pushed him further down the depth chart this offseason. When the receiving corps was thinner, he couldn't get on the field.
On Wednesday morning, Brian Costello of the New York Post reported the Jets are seeking a last-minute trade partner for Mims, and they will waive him on Wednesday if one can't be found. He was excused from reporting for training camp on Wednesday.
Mims appears to have the physical tools to succeed--size (6-foot-3, 200 pounds), speed (4.38 40 at the 2020 NFL Combine) and jumping ability (38.5-inch vertical jump). But we know that's not all there is to the game, and when Mims has played he hasn't looked. His resistance to playing special teams drew ire from Robert Saleh and the Jets' coaching staff, who did not draft him
Mims requested a trade last August, but for some reason the Jets wanted a fourth-round pick they were never going to get for him. He only played a lot last season when Elijah Moore was benched.
Via Pro Football Focus, Mims had a 67.7 run blocking grade last year while playing 56 snaps in the slot.
Should the Detroit Lions have any interest in Denzel Mims?
Mims' skill set, at least on the surface, is an ideal fit for the Lions. But he only has 19 catches over the last two seasons, and a somewhat promising run during his rookie season feels like a long time ago.
It's worth noting the Los Angeles Rams appeared to have a lot of interest in Mims during the 2020 pre-draft process. Lions general manager Brad Holmes was of course their Director of College Scouting then.
It seems certain Mims will be waived. The Lions would be fairly well down the waiver wire priority, which is based on last year's records right now. There would probably be at least one team higher than them who would put in a claim on Mims.
Wherever he lands, Mims will be promised nothing. But he clearly needs a change of scenery, and as a training camp flier he works well in plenty of spots. The Lions should put in a waiver claim when the Jets make that move official, and take their chances they can add a raw talent to their wide receiver competition.