TRADING PLACES
Once on outs, WR Mims excels as Moore seeks a return to relevancy
Nine weeks passed between Denzel Mims’ trade request and his return to making an impact for the Jets.
The season will be almost over if Elijah Moore has to wait that long for a resurgence after his failed attempt to move on.
The two receivers with diminished roles, who both asked to be traded by the Jets before the NFL deadline came and went this week, said they are moving on and looking to contribute over the rest of the season. Head coach Robert Saleh spent a few minutes chatting up both Mims and
Moore individually before practice Friday.
“I’m with the Jets, I play for the Jets, so I’m ready to see what I can do on Sunday against the Bills,” Moore said. “Every day I wake up, I’m happy. I’m definitely human and I have my [frustrated] moments, but it’s a new day. I feel good. I try to reset my mind every time I go home, and I go to the things I believe in.”
Mims, 25, is further ahead on the road to regaining relevance. After he was a healthy scratch for the first six games, Mims found a way back through Corey Davis’ knee injury. He threw a key block on a touchdown run against the Broncos and made two catches for 76 yards against the Patriots.
“His attitude has been awesome,” Saleh said. “I feel like three weeks ago, something flipped. From his daily approach to coachability, all of it has really amplified for him. He’s really taking the bull by the horns and showing a lot of maturity — not that he wasn’t mature before. I really like where he is mentally.”
Asked if a light went on for him when Davis went out, Mims said: “The light has always been there. It just kind of lit up when I knew that it was my time to show what I can do. It’s very exciting. I’m trying to take advantage of every opportunity I get. It’s what I always wanted.”
Kadarius Toney and Chase Claypool were the only NFL receivers on rookie contracts who were traded before the deadline. The Giants and Packers did not add receivers despite glaring needs.
“It’s life. I can’t control that,” Mims said about his request not being met. “What I can control is putting good stuff on film, competing every day and doing everything I can right.
“I was drafted in the second round the year before [these coaches] came and brought in who they wanted. Things kind of changed. I knew I had to do everything I can plus more to get on the field. Now that I’m out there, I appreciate it more.”
Moore, 22, is trying to get to the same place as his fellow former second-round pick. It took time for Mims, who said “nothing fazes me” now but he “let things bother me early on.”
“We all learn from each other,” Moore said, “but his situation is his situation and mine is mine.”
After totaling 12 catches for 139 yards on 21 targets in three games with Joe Flacco at quarterback, Moore has four for 64 on nine since Zach Wilson’s return — a far cry from the 538 yards and five touchdowns he totaled when he and Wilson were rookies last season. Moore returned from a one-game benching by playing 10 snaps (to Mims’ 44) last week.
“We had a great week of practice. I feel good about the plan,” Moore said. “I know I’m going to stay here, so why not be super, super positive?”
Davis is expected to return to the lineup after next week’s bye, which will recreate the receiver logjam. But Mims thinks he is sitting on a breakout game.
“If I keep preparing myself like I am, which I will, it’s bound to happen,” Mims said. “I just have to keep my head down, keep studying the playbook, keep grinding and it will come. How I see it is Corey is not on the field right now, so I’m like, ‘I’m going to be on the field this whole game.’ ”
As Moore can attest, being on the field doesn’t always equate to playmaking opportunities. His frustration boiled over when he wasn’t targeted by Wilson while playing 32 snaps Oct. 16 against the Packers.
“Last year I felt like we had good chemistry,” Moore said. “We’re running the same type of plays. It starts in practice, whether it’s staying after or going over more film, I feel like we are definitely doing a good job starting this week.”