Denzel Mims behind Jeff Smith on the NY Jets WR depth chart

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Jeff Smith / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Few players on the NY Jets roster had more disappointing seasons last year than wide receiver Denzel Mims. But going into 2022, he's looking to reclaim a role in the offense and hold on to a roster spot.

To do so, he'll need to put together a strong summer and convince the Jets that he deserves one final opportunity. He'll have to earn every rep, however.

The Jets began their three-day mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, and while it's important not to read too much into anything that happens this week, the team's wide receiver rotation did hint at the order of the depth chart.

ESPN's Rich Cimini reported shortly after Tuesday's practice that fellow wide receiver Jeff Smith was seemingly ahead of Mims on the depth chart, at least as far as reps go.

Smith got a lot of work with the first-team offense and impressed too, hauling in three catches. As for Mims, he was exclusively relegated to work with the second and third-team offenses.

Denzel Mims is fighting an uphill battle with the NY Jets this summer

A second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Mims put together a promising rookie season finishing with 23 catches for 357 yards in just nine games before a disastrous sophomore NFL campaign tanked his stock.

The former Baylor standout quickly fell out of favor with the Jets' new coaching staff and went from presumed Week 1 starter to a healthy scratch in a matter of months.

Mims finished the 2021 season with just eight catches for 133 yards in 11 games. Injuries were the only reason he was even able to get on the field late in the year, and even then, he failed to do much of anything with his snaps.

Entering the 2022 season, Mims is looking to remind the Jets and everyone else of the potential he once showed coming out of college. He won't have an easy path to playing time, though.

The Jets already have a solidified top four wide receivers in Elijah Moore, Corey Davis, Garrett Wilson, and Braxton Berrios. Mims will be left fighting for one of the depth spots on the roster, and by the looks of things, he isn't winning that battle.

Smith is not only ahead of him on the depth chart, but the former college quarterback is also a frequent contributor on special teams. Mims could be left on the outside looking in.

All the talk of Denzel Mims being in the best shape of his career won't mean much if he can't get on the field. Now, it's all about maximizing his playing time and proving he deserves more.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.