UPDATE, 5:00 p.m.: According to NFL Insider Aaron Wilson, the Steelers have terminated the contract of Denzel Mims.
#Lions waived James Turner with Jake Bates signed to two-year, $1.98 million deal#Steelers terminated Denzel Mims’ contract#Dolphins signed Calais Campbell, waived Matthew Sexton#Giants placed Chase Cota on injured reserve#Cowboys signed Willie Harvey and Gareon Conley#Bears…
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 18, 2024
The Pittsburgh Steelers are making another roster change ahead of training camp. According to NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo, the Steelers are waiving wide receiver Denzel Mims, opening up a 90-man roster spot ahead of training camp.
A former second-round pick out of Baylor by the New York Jets, Mims never caught on in the NFL and is now looking for work again.
Pittsburgh previously signed him to its practice squad last October, reuniting him with former Baylor wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson, who recruited him in college and coached him for a few seasons at Baylor. Prior to landing with the Steelers, Mims was traded from the Jets to the Detroit Lions but suffered an ankle injury in training camp and never caught on in Detroit.
The #Steelers are waiving WR Denzel Mims, source says. Former #Jets second-round pick had been with Pittsburgh since last October on the practice squad. pic.twitter.com/zEhpudGud9
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 18, 2024
Mims was signed to the Steelers’ practice squad on Oct. 3 and spent the rest of the 2023 season on the 16-man practice squad. He was signed to a Reserve/Futures deal on Jan. 17 but will not make it to training camp with the Steelers.
Previously, it was believed that Mims could be a dark horse candidate for the 53-man roster for the Steelers, who still have a major hole at WR2 on the roster behind George Pickens. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko even compared Mims to former Steelers receiver Hakeem Butler, suggesting that Mims would stand out physically in camp.
He won’t get the chance, and now the Steelers have a roster spot to fill ahead of reporting to training camp in Latrobe at Saint Vincent College on July 24.
Coming out of college, Mims was one of the top receivers in the 2020 NFL Draft, landing in the second round with the Jets. Mims had 121 receptions for 1,814 yards and 20 touchdowns in 25 college games. Mims clocked a 4.38 40-yard dash coming out of Baylor and was a serious height/weight/speed combination, checking in at 6-3, 207 pounds.
But he never put it all together in the NFL. In three seasons with the Jets, Mims had just 42 catches for 676 yards on 92 total targets with a long of 63 yards and has yet to find the end zone in his career.
