The Denver Broncos have a lot of players at skill positions headed into the 2024 regular season — specifically at wide receiver and running back.
According to head coach Sean Payton, one of those players could be in line for a breakout season in 2024 with second-year wide receiver/return specialist Marvin Mims, who earned second-team NFL All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie in 2023 for his prowess in the return game.
“I’ve said this, and I’ll say it again: We were as much responsible for, I don’t want to say holding (Mims) back, but you’re trying to get snaps with Jerry Jeudy, with Courtland (Sutton),” Payton said, according to NFL.com’s Kevin Patra. “I think we’ll see a lot of growth from Year 1 to Year 2. He’s tough.”
With Jeudy now on the Cleveland Browns and Sutton sitting out OTAs over a contract dispute, now is the time for Mims to make a big impression on Payton and the coaching staff — and to connect with the Broncos’ trio of quarterbacks vying for the starting spot.
Mims Was Bright Spot for Broncos in 2023
The Broncos selected Mims in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft (No. 63 overall) after he was a two-time All-Big 12 selection at Oklahoma and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds at the NFL combine.
While Mims’ numbers in the receiving game playing behind Sutton and Jeudy were pedestrian — 22 receptions for 377 yards and 1 touchdown — but he was spectacular in the return game. Mims finished his rookie year with 1,116 all-purpose yards after adding another 709 yards on punt and kick returns, including a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins.
From Payton: “We know he’s a good returner. We felt that was one of the strengths obviously that we saw on tape. But we saw transitional speed, we saw the things that you need to have at that receiver position. So I don’t think it was his development as much as, and I don’t want to say a crowded room, but just trying to create enough touches for those guys. Now we have a room, and we have a lot of young players. Size is certainly something you see at the receiver position right now. I’m anxious as we go through this process to watch these guys. This first half of these OTAs has gone really good, I mean really good. I told them that. I like the energy. I feel like we’re younger, and you kind of feel that at practice.”
Who Will Be Starting QB in Denver?
Who ends up throwing passes to Sutton, Mims and Co. is still yet to be determined.
Payton has declared the starting quarterback spot is an open competition between No. 12 overall pick Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
Stidham went 1-1 in two starts in 2023. Wilson went 12-21 as the primary starter for the Jets over the last three seasons.
Nix was the SEC Freshman of the Year at Auburn in 2019 and the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year at Oregon in 2023 after he threw for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns and 3 interceptions to go with 228 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns.
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NFL All-Pro Could Have New Role for Broncos