NY Jets WR Denzel Mims failed to maximize his opportunities

The NY Jets' usage, or lack thereof, of wide receiver Denzel Mims early in the season was one of the more surprising developments at the start of the year.

Mims was left on the bench and even made a healthy scratch for multiple games leaving fans puzzled as to how the team's second-round pick from a year ago had fallen so far down the depth chart.

But when top wide receiver Corey Davis was sidelined last month, Mims finally received the opportunity that many had been pleading for.

Suddenly, Mims found himself playing the "Corey Davis role" in the Jets offense and his playing time saw a dramatic uptick. Unfortunately, he failed to do much of anything with his increase in snaps.

Now, with Davis set to return this Sunday, Mims' golden opportunity appears to have been squandered.

NY Jets' wide receiver Denzel Mims didn't make the most of his snaps

Mims played just 21 snaps over the first six weeks of the season. He was targeted only four times but did manage to haul in three catches for 73 yards. That meant Mims was catching one pass for every seven offensive snaps.

There was reason to believe that Mims could do well with a greater role. Fortunately for the former Baylor star, the Jets have switched to using more 10 personnel allowing increased snaps for all the wide receivers on the roster.

That, coupled with Davis' absence, saw Mims' playing time skyrocket. He played 31 percent of snaps in Week 7, a team-high 70 percent in Week 8, and another 60 percent in Week 9.

But despite a resurgent Jets offense led by Mike White and Josh Johnson, Mims still couldn't make an impact.

While others such as Elijah Moore and Michael Carter benefited from the team's offensive success, it was more of the same from Mims.

The 24-year-old was targeted eight times over the last two weeks, hauling in just three catches for 30 yards. And of those eight targets, he dropped two of them, including one blatant drop for what should have been the first touchdown of his career.

For context, Mims dropped only one pass in his entire rookie season. Yet, over his last eight targets, Mims has dropped two of them. Those drops came during a time when he was trying to salvage a role in the offense while being handed the best quarterback play of his career.

It's hard to make the argument that Mims deserves any type of role with Davis returning. Even with the Jets using more 10 personnel as the weeks go on, the likes of Davis, Moore, Jamison Crowder, Keelan Cole, and Braxton Berrios have all earned their playing time.

Mims was given an extended look with the first-team offense playing the same role that Davis had this season all while the Jets had the most competent quarterback play they've had in years.

And Mims still failed to make an impact.

The jury is still out on Denzel Mims' future, but it's safe to say that he failed to capitalize on his golden opportunity over the last couple of weeks.