Jets' Corey Davis Out vs. Patriots: Denzel Mims Gets Another Shot
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Earlier in the week, Jets head coach Robert Saleh said veteran wideout Corey Davis had "a chance" to return from his knee injury this week, helping out on offense against the Patriots.
Just a few days later, Saleh delivered the news that Davis—who hasn't played since Week 7—will sit out again.
"When you’re dealing with those knee sprains, they heal differently," Saleh told reporters on Friday. "I think we’re all really, really confident in his ability to get back with us next week, but right now, unfortunately he’s out."
Only rookie Garrett Wilson has more receiving yards than Davis (351 on 19 catches) this season in green and white. That's factoring in Davis' recent injury, forcing him to miss effectively the last three games.
With Davis sidelined for at least one more week, that means Denzel Mims will have another opportunity to shine. Mims requested a trade earlier this year, a product of his inability to secure playing time in this team's loaded wide receiver room. Now, he's a key figure, to a certain extent, within New York's offense, a unit that's won five of their last six games.
"He’s really done a nice job," Saleh said. "Like I've said, his mentality, the confidence at which he’s playing with and I know you guys don’t get to see practice, not that practice is always an indicator of how things will go in the game, but he’s been fantastic. He’s building a lot of trust with the coaching staff, his teammates, and just excited to see him continue to find ways to get better."
Mims has four catches in the last three games—the only three games he's been active for this season. He's made the most of those grabs, too. He set a new career-high of 76 receiving yards in New York's loss to the Patriots last month, exploding for a 63-yard gain in the fourth quarter. Then, in an upset over the Bills, Mims snagged a pass on third down, a pivotal conversion to move the chains and eat more time off the clock late in the game.
His usage has steadily increased as well. For a player that didn't touch the field through much of the first half of the season, it's remarkable that Mims lined up for 50 snaps on offense against the Bills last week, 83 percent of New York's offensive snaps.
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