The Lions acquired receiver Denzel Mims a few days ago after the Jets made it clear they intended to release him if they couldn’t find a trade partner.
Mims, a second-round pick in 2020, has not played up to his draft status to this point in his career. But Detroit brought him in through a low-risk move to see if he might be a better fit in a different environment.
“He’s a guy that has tools,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said on Sunday, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “He’s a big receiver and he has speed. He has length and kind of relative of looking at what you want to work with, this guy has the ability and let’s see if we can do something.
“Let’s see if there is a change in scenery help this guy. … It’s the traits. We know the kid will work. We’ve heard that. He has a level of toughness about him, so we’ll see where we can take it.”
While the Lions do have some depth at receiver, 2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams will serve a six-game suspension for violating the gambling policy to open the season. Marvin Jones, who returned to the organization as a free agent this offseason, is also currently on the non-football injury list.
In 30 games with 15 starts over the last three seasons, Mims has caught 42 passes for 676 yards.