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Jets' Denzel Mims' Timeline After Hamstring Injury Unclear, Adam Gase Says
August 14, 2020
New York Jets head coach Adam Gase said Friday he's unsure how long rookie wide receiver Denzel Mims will be sidelined after suffering a hamstring injury when he took a "really weird step" during drills.
"At that spot it's all about the chemistry you have with the QB ... and we're missing time," Gase told reporters.
Running back Frank Gore, cornerback Pierre Desir and defensive end Bronson Kaufusi also missed the team's practice Friday with hamstring injuries, while linebacker Jabari Zuniga was out with a quad injury, per Spencer Aber of JetsWire.
The Jets picked Mims in the second round of April's 2020 NFL draft. He was the 13th receiver selected, and general manager Joe Douglas said it was clear that provided motivation for the Baylor product.
"Usually when you call these guys, they're excited, there's a lot of emotion," Douglas told reporters. "Denzel had a real chip on his shoulder. It was important to him that he was going to make these teams pay that passed him up. We can't wait to get that type of competitor, that type of mentality in the building."
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old Texas native expressed his excitement to work with third-year signal-caller Sam Darnold.
"We have Sam Darnold and that's a great quarterback," Mims said. "I can't wait to get to work with him and make a lot of things happen with him. I had time to watch him and to actually be playing with him, on the same team as him and same offense, it's unbelievable."
Mims is coming off a strong senior season with the Bears. He recorded 66 catches for 1,020 yards and 12 touchdowns across 13 appearances. It marked the second time he topped the 1,000-yard mark in college, also doing so as a sophomore in 2017.
He was slated to make an immediate impact as a starter opposite Breshad Perriman in traditional sets with Jamison Crowder, the team's leading receiver last year, also getting plenty of snaps from the slot.
The hamstring injury paired with the lack of on-field offseason team activities and the cancellation of the preseason because of the coronavirus pandemic could slow his rise up the depth chart, though.