Jets' Robert Saleh Weighs in on Denzel Mims Trade Request
Even after Denzel Mims formally requested a trade, Jets head coach Robert Saleh isn't giving up on the wideout's future in New York.
Commenting on Mims' trade request on Friday, Saleh said all parties are progressing with business as usual.
"It’s not over. I’m not going to say it’s over with," Saleh said, asked about Mims' tenure in green and white. "Is it [disappointing]? Sure. You go into this and you fight for all your guys and you try to get them where you want them to be. You just want to see these guys have success. All the individual players, you want them to have successful careers and achieve all their personal goals. With that said, I do think Denzel has done a great job. I’m standing by it. He’s had really good OTAs. He’s done a really good job in training camp, and it’s just a matter him finding his niche and finding his role."
Incremental improvements won't wipe away two disappointing seasons for the former-second pick, though. Not to mention the fact that Mims is buried on this team's depth chart, a receiver working to improve on special teams just to earn a roster spot.
"I know he’s frustrated, we’ve talked about before, that he’s not where he wants to be. That doesn’t mean that he can’t get there. He’s got to continue to grind," Saleh added.
If Mims is still on the Jets on Sunday, when New York is scheduled to wrap up their preseason schedule with an exhibition game against the Giants, then the wideout will play, Saleh said. The head coach doesn't think this is a locker room distraction either.
"I think you look at Denzel, it’s not, ‘I don’t want to be a part of New York.’ It’s not, ‘I don’t like my locker room. I don’t like my teammates. I don’t like my coaches.’ It’s, ‘I want more,’ which is understandable," Saleh explained. "But at the same time, not to speak for Joe [Douglas], all of us from a decision-making standpoint, we have to do what’s best for our organization and he is one of our better players and we’ve got to find a way to make this work."
The question is what can the Jets get in return for Mims, a receiver that's failed to produce at this level but shown flashes of his playmaking ability.
In a different situation, surely Mims would've had more opportunities to blossom in green and white, more chances to get reps with the first team and show what he can do. That's not easy when Corey Davis, Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore, Braxton Berrios and more are on the same team. It's a good problem to have for the Jets, but a bad problem for Mims.
"When you look at Corey, Elijah, and Garrett for specifics, it is hard to breakthrough to get in front of those guys to steal reps," Saleh said. "You love his competitive nature, talking about Denzel, in the fact that he feels he is one of those best three and he should be on the field and he wants those reps. I respect the heck out of it, and I want him to keep fighting for that because you want that competition. The balance is understanding where you are as a football team, making the decisions that are best for the football team and this organization, and own your role and dominate your role until those opportunities come up."
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