NY Jets hoping to raise Denzel Mims' trade value this summer

The NY Jets haven't given up on former second-round pick Denzel Mims just yet, at least that's the message they're looking to convey to the NFL world.

Truth be told, however, it's very difficult to imagine a long-term future with Mims as a featured part of the team's offense. In fact, there remains a good chance that he's not even on the Jets' Week 1 roster.

This was the sentiment shared by ESPN's Rich Cimini who recently proclaimed that the Jets were "hoping to raise [Mims'] trade value" this summer with Cimini going as far as to predict that the team would ultimately trade him.

Mims reportedly showed up to spring workouts in excellent shape and the Jets coaching staff has been impressed. Unfortunately, it may be a case of too little, too late for the former Baylor star.

Denzel Mims' days with the NY Jets might be numbered

Mims' struggles last season have been well documented to this point so there's no sense in rehashing them in detail, but his dud of a sophomore season landed him in the coaching staff's doghouse rather quickly.

And no matter how much work he's put in this offseason, there just doesn't seem to be a role for him. Barring injury, he's likely going to be the odd man out.

That's not to say that he wouldn't make the roster. Right now, he's penciled in as the team's No. 6 wide receiver behind Elijah Moore, Corey Davis, Garrett Wilson, Braxton Berrios, and Jeff Smith.

Mims isn't surpassing any of those players on the depth chart this summer, likely not even Smith. On top of that, he hasn't proven that he can contribute on special teams meaning that he'd very likely be a healthy scratch on game days.

Essentially, he'd just be taking up a roster spot. A former second-round pick the Jets would be stashing on their bench. That's why it certainly makes sense for the organization to look to move him this summer.

As Cimini implies, the Jets have seemingly already moved on from Mims. They have a quartet of wide receivers atop their depth chart that they feel really good about. There just isn't room for Mims on the roster, again barring injury.

The Jets are hoping that Mims continues to impress this summer, not so much because they believe he could earn a role in the offense, but because they want him to convince other teams that he's worth the investment.

This, of course, is just speculation. Perhaps the Jets do still believe that Mims has a future with the organization. But given everything we've seen and everything we know, it seems more likely that they're looking to shop him.

What does the future hold for Denzel Mims? We should gain a clearer picture over the next six weeks.