The Dallas Cowboys signed former Baylor star and New York Jets 2020 second-round pick Denzel Mims, who is coming off a stint with the UFL's Dallas Renegades. The Cowboys will be the fifth team in the NFL to give Mims a chance, as he bounced around with the Lions, Steelers, and Jaguars.
Dallas also made a flurry of UFL-related moves, signing former Jets offensive lineman Chris Glaser and former Patriots Day 3 cornerback Ameer Speed. Offensive lineman Matt Hennessy was placed on IR, while UDFA receiver Romello Brinson and cornerback Corey Ballentine were released.
Mims, however, is the most intriguing name here.
His coming to town could be a bad sign for seventh-round rookie Anthony Smith, who has now seen the Cowboys sign multiple receivers right after they brought him in. Both Mims and Marquez Valdes-Scantling are bigger boundary receivers with speed who are at their best when they run deep routes.
That puts them in direct competition with Smith.
Dallas Cowboys signing Denzel Mims is bad for 2026 7th-rounder Anthony Smith
Mims looked to be one of the better receivers in the 2020 NFL Draft, as his 6-foot-3 frame and 4.38 40-yard dash made him look like an athletic freak who could have changed the Jets' fortunes. Due to some rancid quarterback play and his own poor route-running, Mims caught just 42 passes in three years with no touchdowns.
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are undoubtedly the top dogs in the Cowboys' receiver room, and Ryan Flournoy is expected to serve as the third option, while KaVontae Turpin will be the fourth. Beyond that, anything goes.
Vets like Valdes-Scantling and Tyler Johnson are competing with Mims, rookie Smith, and disappointing holdover Jonathan Mingo. With these players already in the building, Smith was already working uphill all offseason.
He wasn't an NFL Combine invite, he has to be used in a very specific way to get the most out of his skills, and Dallas already had at least four players firmly ranked ahead of him on the depth chart. If they catch lightning in a bottle with Mims, Smith's chances of making the 53-man roster will shrink.
There's a non-zero chance that Mims rewinds time to his glory days in Waco and sticks in some sort of reserve role. However, considering how the depth and quality of the Dallas Renegades proved to be too much for him, the most likely scenario is that he ends up getting cut before the season starts and continues to show what a mistake the Jets made picking him that high all those years ago.
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