Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Denzel Mims wasn’t on the free agent very long, as the former second-round draft pick has already agreed to a new deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars after being released by the Steelers on Tuesday, according to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Mims was released by the Steelers in a somewhat surprising move just two days ago, in the week following the club’s three-day mandatory minicamp. The Steelers also released strong safety Trenton Thompson on Wednesday and have not made any corresponding moves to back-fill those roster spots.
The Steelers signed Mims to their practice squad during the 2023 season, and then brought him back on a future contract for 2024. He never played in a game for the team.
Mims was a second round pick by the New York Jets out of Baylor by the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons in New York, playing 30 games and making 42 catches for 676 yards.
The Jets moved on from Mims in 2023, trading to him to the Detroit Lions for a conditional sixth-round pick. He was waived/injured by the Lions on Aug. 18, and then eventually caught on with the Steelers on Oct. 3.
The Steelers have been searching high and low for a wide receiver to pair with George Pickens this offseason since trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers earlier this offseason. Mims was one of a number of potential solutions that the team had at minicamp, but failed to break through with that opportunity.
The Jaguars seem to have less of a need at the position. They used a first-round draft pick on Brian Thomas Jr. out of LSU, and signed free agents Gabe Davis and Devin Duvernay to go along with incumbent starter Christian Kirk.
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