Denzel Mims isn’t “in the room” anymore.
A day after Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell used that foreboding phrase to describe Mims’ spot in the battle for a wide receiver job, the Lions waived Mims with an injury designation Friday.
Mims suffered an ankle injury in practice Aug. 5, returned briefly the following week but had not practiced since because of a lingering leg issue.
Asked about Mims’ health Monday, Campbell said, “We’ll see. Structurally he’s good. We’ll see how it feels.”
Mims did not take part in joint practices with the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, and after the Lions lost Jameson Williams (hamstring) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) to injuries Wednesday, Campbell said they needed to make a move to add depth at the position.
When asked where Mims stood in the receiver room, Campbell said dryly, “He’s in there. He’s in the room … We’ll see.”
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The Lions traded a conditional sixth-round pick to the New York Jets for Mims and a seventh-rounder before training camp, hoping the talented receiver would benefit from a fresh start in Detroit.
A second-round pick by the Jets in 2020, Mims 42 catches for 676 yards and no touchdowns in three seasons with the Jets. He appeared in 10 games and caught 11 passes last year.
With Friday’s roster move, the Lions voided the terms of trade.
Campbell said Thursday the battle for the final one or two receiver jobs is “wide open” and young players like Dylan Drummond and Chase Cota have “a great opportunity” to prove their worth over the final week of camp.
St. Brown, Kalif Raymond, Josh Reynolds and Marvin Jones seem assured of roster spots to start the season. St. Brown is expected back from his injury next week but is unlikely to play in next Friday’s exhibition finale, while Williams is expected to miss the rest of the preseason with his injury and is suspended for the first six games of the regular season.
“This room is wide open right now,” Campbell said. “I mean, we’ve got a pretty good feel of some of these guys, but we have a spot, potentially two, wide open. Wide open. Cota, you want it, go get it. Drummond, you want it, go get it. Who knows? Trinity Benson, we’re going to get him back (from injury), so our eyes are wide open and we’re looking for guys and we have a track record in a three-year period here, it doesn’t matter where you’ve been drafted, who you are, what it is, you’ve got an opportunity. If you want to go earn it, go get it.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.