He will get that chance – and apparently a real chance – on Sunday when the 0-3 Jets play host to the Tennessee Titans. With Elijah Moore and Jeff Smith both out with concussions, and Jamison Crowder returning from a groin injury and getting set for his 2021 debut, Jets head coach Robert Saleh made it clear on Friday that Mims “is going to get some opportunities.” He also added “Hopefully he takes advantage of them. We’re expecting him to.”

Some of that, though, is going to be on the Jets, including Saleh and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. They can’t just roll the 6-3, 207-pound Mims with his sub-4.5 speed out onto the field and hope he does something. They need to help him by creating, maybe even forcing those opportunities. They need to make a concerted effort to get him the ball.

Otherwise, it’s a waste – especially in a season that is all about building for the future, even moreso than trying to get a few wins. Mims, all of 23 years old and just 17 months removed from being the 59^th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, is theoretically a big part of the Jets’ future. Crowder’s contract expires at the end of the season. Receiver Keelan Cole is only here on a one-year deal.

The Big 3 the Jets should be developing for 2022 and beyond are Corey Davis, Moore, and Mims.

That’s why these first three games have been so surprising, and why there’s been so much angst about the status of a guy who is probably the fifth or sixth receiver on the depth chart right now when everyone is healthy. Mims played just three snaps on offense in Week 1, and then was a healthy scratch the next two weeks.

The excuse was that as a backup receiver, he needed to learn all three receiver spots in the offense, and that he needed to play special teams. But that’s really irrelevant on a team that has desperately needed people who can make plays on offense. Mims has the skills to do that. They need to get and keep him on the field to see if he can.

Maybe that’s why the bar has been lowered a bit for Mims in terms of what he needed to do to actually be on the active roster. Saleh said on Friday that Mims really only needs to know two of the three different receiver positions, and it doesn’t appear that he’ll be on special teams this week. Maybe that’s just a product of the Jets’ injuries and desperation, but whatever the standards are, it at least sounds like the Jets are comfortable enough to make sure Mims is used.

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