Best 2021 NFL breakout candidate from every team

ASHBURN, VA - JUNE 02: Ryan Fitzpatrick #14 of the Washington Football Team hands the ball off to Antonio Gibson #24 of the Washington Football Team during the organized team activity at Inova Sports Performance Center on June 2, 2021 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
ASHBURN, VA - JUNE 02: Ryan Fitzpatrick #14 of the Washington Football Team hands the ball off to Antonio Gibson #24 of the Washington Football Team during the organized team activity at Inova Sports Performance Center on June 2, 2021 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
25 of 32
NFL 2021
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 29: Denzel Mims #11 of the New York Jets runs for a first down against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on November 29, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

New York Jets: Denzel Mims, Wide Receiver

Adam Gase was a disaster for the Miami Dolphins. He tore that team apart from the inside and shipped their best players out of town. He also destroyed Ryan Tannehill’s confidence and the Dolphins ended up trading him to Tennessee, where he has since had a career resurgence.

Even though the New York Jets played in the Dolphins’ division and had a front-row seat to the destruction that Gase brought upon them, they thought it would be a great idea to bring him in and have him work with Sam Darnold.

Now, Darnold is on a new team after playing terribly inconsistent for three seasons and Gase is out. In their place is rookie quarterback Zach Wilson and rookie head coach Robert Saleh. It remains to be seen if these two can be successful but someone inclined to bet would have no problem putting their money on Saleh to be better than Gase.

Wilson, on the other hand, needs to prove he can make the transition from BYU and handle the bright lights of New York. What will help him is the fact that the Jets added Corey Davis but one receiver won’t be enough. He’s going to need another to step up and the best option on the roster for a breakout season is Denzel Mims.

As a rookie, Mims had just 23 receptions for 357 yards and no touchdowns but the offense was a mess. He’s got incredible size at 6-foot-3 and 207-pounds and with a better staff, he should be able to take a huge step forward this season.