AFC East Mailbag: Is it Tua Time in Miami? Where could Denzel Mims land?

By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Writer

The NFL is headed for final roster cuts on Tuesday, with every team trimming to 53 players. The transaction madness is almost underway. 

So, in the AFC East, let’s talk about some of the surprising moves that might take place in terms of cuts, keeps and trades.

The Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots all have deep rosters. The New York Jets may not be deep, but they are stacked with young and high-upside talent. So they have no shortage of players they’ll want to keep. Every general manager will have plenty of tough decisions to make. Once they’re through that, teams will begin their preparations for the season opener.

Let’s dive into your questions from this week’s Twitter mailbag. Please feel free to participate next week by tweeting at me at @McKennAnalysis.

From @EnragedKermit: Mims has requested a trade, where do you think he might go?

I’ll talk in a second about how it’s not crazy to think that Jets WR Denzel Mims might actually land within the division. But before I go there, let’s talk about the other 28 teams. Mims put up a hugely important performance in preseason Week 3 with seven catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. The audition surely reminded NFL teams that the young receiver, a second-round pick in 2020, still has value.

The Chicago Bears have Darnell Mooney and basically no one else. So they come to mind immediately for New York. 

The Green Bay Packers have a handful of solid receiver options: Sammy Watkins, Christian Watson and Allen Lazard. But adding Mims to that group could help them.

The Baltimore Ravens don’t have much in the way of pass-catchers past receiver Rashod Bateman and tight end Mark Andrews. They could use another capable body at the position.

The Atlanta Falcons have eighth overall pick Drake London and tight end (and freak of nature) Kyle Pitts. And then there are up-and-coming wideouts Olamide Zaccheaus and Bryan Edwards. Why not keep adding young receivers to a team that is rebuilding this year?

The Arizona Cardinals might need help while DeAndre Hopkins is serving his six-game suspension. They don’t have great depth — Hollywood Brown and Rondale Moore are really it. Mims could see good playing time in an explosive offense.

The Cowboys have receiver CeeDee Lamb and tight end Dalton Schultz, but they need a third option. Because Michael Gallup is returning from a turn ACL, Dallas might pounce on Mims. 

It’s a pretty long list for a receiver who hasn’t really proven himself, but he had a breakout game at the right time. And he’s cheap in terms of financial and trade value.

From @ForcePatriots: You think the Patriots might have interest in Mims? There was a lot of talk prior to the 2020 Draft that had Mims going to New England.

Prior to Tyquan Thornton‘s injury, I would have said no way. But collarbone injuries are serious. Thornton should return this season, but the last thing the Patriots would want to do is rush him back. 

Mims could bring depth and serve as insurance in case DeVante Parker gets hurt. Given there will likely be a lot of interest in Mims, the Patriots would have to be the most aggressive suitor. That’s where they might fall out of the picture, because they already have four starting-caliber receivers (Parker, Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne), even if none of them is truly elite.

From @gmoney8712: Do you think Isaiah Wynn will be traded before the Final Cut day?

It comes down to trade capital. If the Patriots get a late second-round pick for the fourth-year left tackle, I would bet they pull the trigger. New England needs their offensive line to turn things around after a rough training camp during which they completely neutered their rushing attack by changing the scheme. The offensive line hasn’t gotten going. 

As much as Wynn struggles with health, he is substantially better than the alternatives. The Patriots could move Michael Onwenu to right tackle — but then who moves to right guard? James Ferentz? Arlington Hambright? They could move Yodny Cajuste or Justin Herron into a starting role. Neither has proven capable, even if both have been impressive at times during training camp. So anyone interested in Wynn would likely have to pay a high price. 

To answer the question directly: No, I don’t think they’ll move Wynn. He is likely more valuable to the Patriots than he is on the trade market.

From @QBRating: Is Sheldon Rankins locked into a roster spot or is he potentially expendable with significant cap savings with the emergence of the young interior DL?

The Jets would incur a $2.2 million cap hit if they cut Rankins, but would save $5.4 million in cap space. And he’s not so impressive that they really need to spend that money on him. Rankins sits behind defensive tackles Quinnen Williams and John Franklin-Myers. 

What people forget about starting defensive tackles is that they don’t often play the majority of snaps. Last season Williams played just 51% of snaps (15 games played) and Franklin-Myers played 60% (16 games played). Teams often need a third starter. So the question is whether the Jets trust Solomon Thomas to join the rotation as their third DT. If he’s showing he can hold up, then, yes, Rankins looks like a sensible cut.

From @donywahlberg: As someone who partially tore a meniscus … I think Wilson may actually be ruined. Mental/confidence setbacks plus a permanent loss of speed and cutting.

I cannot speculate about what will come, medically, of Zach Wilson‘s knee. What I know is that, after Year 1, Wilson needed reps. He was lost in the Jets’ offense and looked unready for the NFL level. The only way to get him up to speed is to get him on the field. 

So his injury will absolutely serve as an impediment to his development. There’s no arguing otherwise. He was gaining momentum in training camp. He lost that when he hurt his knee. He’ll have to try to pick back up where he left off when he gets back on the practice field during the regular season.

From @PrinceKDP13: Is Gabriel Davis going to have a breakout year or was that Chiefs game a fluke considering the Chiefs defense wasn’t that good?

Everyone around Davis is bullish on the Buffalo receiver. Obviously, he’s not going to go off for 200 yards and four touchdowns every game like he did against the Chiefs. The hype might even be going too far when proclaiming him an elite receiver. His career-high in single-season receptions is 35. 

Davis is, however, clearly one of the hardest-working Bills. He is hungry not just to earn WR2 in the team’s offense but to produce in that role. So, yes, I’m betting (as a fantasy football owner) that Davis is ready to have a breakout year, in part because of his tremendous work ethic and in part because of the offensive machine that is Josh Allen.

From @MasonSousa1: Is the hate on Tua just because it’s the cool thing to do, or is there real concern of him making the next jump?

Tua Tagovailoa had a legitimately unimpressive 2021 season. Just look at his stats: 2,653 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 13 games played. Woof. There should absolutely be real concern about him making the next jump. 

Jimmy Johnson assesses Trey Lance, Tua Tagovailoa

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But perhaps that’s why the Dolphins were so aggressive in trying to set him up for success. They brought in an offensive head coach in Mike McDaniel. They drafted a receiver early in the first round in 2021, Jaylen Waddle, and they traded a haul for Tyreek Hill this offseason. And then they signed receiver Cedrick Wilson and tackle Terron Armstead in free agency to boot. 

Miami has made a huge effort to send Tagovailoa on a positive trajectory. He is performing well in training camp. It seems the support is sending him in the right direction.

From @HurwitzSports: Do you think the Patriots CBs will hold their own against the speedy WRs from the rest of the division? Bonus points if you can find 2 CBs that don’t make the team.

New England’s secondary is a mystery to me. When looking at past seasons, cornerback Jalen Mills doesn’t look ready to handle the CB1 role. When looking at training camp, which has included matchups against Raiders receiver Davante Adams, Mills has looked solid. 

But then there’s the question of whether Jonathan Jones can hold up as the team’s CB2 as an outside corner, a role he has never played before. And then the Patriots’ slot cornerback, Myles Bryant, was last seen getting toasted by Isaiah McKenzie (and others) in 2021. So there’s no doubt that the AFC East is licking its collective chops at this cornerback group. 

As for two corners who won’t make the team, that’s tough one. If I had to pick two: Shaun Wade and Terrance Mitchell.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.