For a long time, second-round picks were a major struggle for the New York Jets organization. Time and time again, the Jets whiffed in a round where many successful teams build the backbone of their rosters.
They’ve started to rectify that issue in recent years, with their last two second-round picks being recently-extended offensive lineman Joe Tippmann (2023) and tight end Mason Taylor (2025). But around the league, some of the Jets’ failed second-rounders are still kicking.
One of their most notorious busts has made his way back into the league.
According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, wide receiver Denzel Mims has signed with the Dallas Cowboys.
Mims, 28, was chosen by the Jets in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. The Baylor product played 30 games (15 starts) across three seasons with the Jets, catching 42 of 92 targets (45.7%) for 676 yards and zero touchdowns.
Mims has not played in the NFL since the 2022 season, when he caught 11 passes for 186 yards with the Jets. He last played professional football for the UFL’s Dallas Renegades in 2026, for whom he recorded six receptions, 55 receiving yards, and zero touchdowns in five games.
Meanwhile, the Jets are hoping for better luck with their young receiving core than their previous regime had with high draft picks like Mims and Elijah Moore. New York drafted tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. in the first round of this year’s draft, hoping to build a nucleus of pass-catching talent for the future.
It’s an area where Darren Mougey’s predecessor in the Jets’ GM chair, Joe Douglas, struggled mightily, outside of his Garrett Wilson selection in 2022. If Mougey can significantly outperform Douglas in this area, he may have a much better chance of building an infrastructure that can facilitate the development of a franchise quarterback.
