Jets OC Mike LaFleur wants Denzel Mims to improve inside the numbers

Denzel Mims was one of the lone bright spots of the Jets’ putrid offense last season, flashing his big-play potential with 15.5 yards per catch and showcasing top-end speed that could make him a dangerous deep threat for years to come.

He is going to have to do more than just take the top off opposing defenses if he wants to crack the starting lineup in Mike LaFleur’s offense, though.

New York has shifted over to a west coast scheme with LaFleur orchestrating the offense. Deep threats have a place in a west coast system, but receivers need to be able to break off crisp short and intermediate routes with regularity. Mims has yet to master that skill.

Mims spent most of the spring working with the Jets’ second-team offense. He missed time with an illness, but even when he was back to 100 percent, it was rookie Elijah Moore claiming a large chunk of outside receiver reps in place of the injured Corey Davis.

With Moore moving up in the pecking order during minicamp and OTAs, Davis set to return in training camp, Braxton Berrios forming chemistry with Zach Wilson, Keelan Cole impressing and Jamison Crowder set to return after reworking his contract, Mims will now have to battle for a starting spot among a crowded wide receiver room that is littered with players who are a better fit playing in a west coast offense.

“[Mims] plays big on the outside. He’s got the length and the radius,” LaFleur said on the second episode of Flight 2021. “We’re gonna get him playing better inside the numbers.”

Routes run inside the numbers include crossing routes, digs, posts, slants and other short and intermediate variants. Mims was asked to run almost exclusively straight-line routes in Adam Gase’s offense, similar to Robby Anderson’s usage in his lone season with Gase.

It remains to be seen if Mims can develop into the all-around receiver Anderson has become with the Panthers, but his success in LaFleur’s offense is contingent on his ability to, at the very least, be a viable weapon underneath.

Jets fans have no reason to worry about Mims right now. Whether it be as a full-time starter or solely as a deep threat, he is going to have a role in New York’s offense. His future as a starter, though, is now dependent on his ability to showcase improved skills in the short and intermediate passing game throughout the summer.