Broncos' Marvin Mims Jr. Tapped as 'Most Improved' WR Down the Stretch

Sean Payton did a lot of good in his first two years as Denver Broncos head coach, but one frustrating aspect of his regime early on was the mystifying usage of wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. Technically the first draft pick of the Payton era, Mims got out to a hot start as a rookie receiver in 2023 — setting a 1,000-yard receiving pace in the first quarter of the season — before finding himself in the doghouse.

Mims' impact as a returner was felt immediately, and he distinguished himself well as a rookie Pro Bowler and All-Pro. That gave Broncos Country hope that Payton would be more inclined to carve out a role for Mims on offense.

When 2024 rolled around, that role didn't materialize initially. Mims' dominance as a returner continued, but his usage on offense was very hit-and-miss.

However, something changed from Week 10 on. Payton started using Mims as a running back and through gadgetry, which was a massive boon to the offense, keeping opponents on their heels.

Mims really came alive as a pass-catcher down the stretch — so much so that Pro Football Focus' Thomas Valentine listed Mims first at the wide receiver position of the NFL's five most improved players over the second half of the season.

"Marvin Mims was an afterthought in the Denver Broncos offense in the first half of the season, catching just seven passes for 56 yards. It wasn’t the best use of his ability, but Mims made amends in the second half of the season. His 79.5 grade was 14th among all receivers, and Mims averaged 4.10 yards per route run, the highest among all receivers while catching 32 passes for 447 yards and six touchdowns," Valentine wrote.

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Mims garnered 134 total offensive snaps from Weeks 1-9. From Weeks 10-18, he had 163, and as Valentine opined, the Broncos offense benefited tremendously.

Mims would finish the season as a Pro Bowler and All-Pro returner once again, but Broncos fans are more encouraged and confident than ever that Payton has a role for him on offense moving forward. Despite all the pre-draft tropes, Bo Nix has a deadly deep ball, and he and Mims connected on some big plays down the stretch.

Let's hope that Mims' back-to-back two-touchdown performances vs. the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs to close out the season were a preview of what's to come with his connection with Nix. The Broncos still have work to do in building the nest around Nix, but Mims, despite his late-season production, was a vastly under-utilized weapon last year.

It seems the Broncos finally corrected that oversight.

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