Denzel Mims' unremarkable preseason showing cemented his fate with the Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a well-rounded wide receiver corps and have already earmarked roster spots for several players. This made it a challenge for former second-round pick Denzel Mims to make the team in 2024. The fact that he had an unremarkable offseason didn't help matters, and the Jags already made up their mind.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reported that Jacksonville waived Mims. He's the first player they've released following the 31-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 of the preseason.

The 59th overall pick in 2020, Mims flashed as a rookie but also missed time. He struggled to make an impact the following two years and was given the boot in 2023. He went on to spend a season in the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad and was waived earlier this year. The former Baylor Golden Bear signed with the Jags after Organized Team Activities and was vying for a roster spot.

The trouble is that Mims was facing an uphill battle. Gabe Davis, Christian Kirk, Brian Thomas Jr., Devin Duvernay, and Parker Washington are virtually locks to make the team, so Jacksonville has just one or maybe two spots up for grabs. The frontrunner was Tim Jones, who can contribute on special teams.

Also in the mix are (were?) Elijah Cooks and undrafted rookie Joshua Cephus. Mims needed to prove he was better than both but he was unremarkable in the offseason, hauling in a measly one reception for seven yards on 44 offensive snaps.

To make things worse, the fourth-year wideout played a paltry four snaps on special teams. If you are on the bottom half of the depth chart and want to make the team, you must be able to contribute on special teams but Mims didn't, so it's not particularly surprising that the Jaguars gave him his walking papers.

What's next for Denzel Mims after getting cut by the Jaguars?

Denzel Mims has three accrued seasons so he's subject to waivers. If no team claims him, he'll become a free agent and will be able to sign with any club he pleases. Back when he joined the Jacksonville Jaguars, he knew he had his work cut out.

"It's been two weeks," Mims told Ryan Green of 1010 XL during training camp. "How long have we done training, how long I've been here? Just trying to pick up the plays and get up to tempo with these other guys. I've been doing a pretty good job doing that, so I'm just gonna keep doing it."

With Mims out of the picture, the Jaguars now need to keep trimming down the roster ahead of cutdown day. At this point, it's hard to see them carrying seven receivers like they did last year to ensure other teams didn't call dibs on Elijah Cooks in the waiver wire.

Cooks has been serviceable and even caught a touchdown reception in the preseason finale but it's fair to wonder if he's done enough to solidify a roster spot. Joshua Cephus, for his part, was not able to take advantage of his chances, making two crucial mistakes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tim Jones, on the other hand, may not be flashy but can contribute as a blocker and on special teams. That should help him lock up a roster spot.

Mims could come back in the practice squad but Austin Trammell and Seth Williams, along with Cooks and Cephus, are also candidates, so he's probably a long shot. This means that he'll most likely have to look somewhere else to keep his NFL career going.

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