Broncos Rookie WR Marvin Mims Jr. Campaigns for More Touches
Rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. has been one of the few bright spots for the winless Denver Broncos. Through three games, the rookie out of Oklahoma has seven receptions on nine targets for a whopping 195 receiving yards and a touchdown.
This kid is averaging 27.9 yards per reception, which begs the question: why aren't Sean Payton and quarterback Russell Wilson targeting Mims more?
Payton's answer would probably include some flow-of-game cliches, but the bottom line is when Mims touches the ball, great things happen for the Broncos, including as a returner. On Monday, following that brutal 70-20 beatdown in Miami, Mims implied that what Broncos fans have seen from him thus far could be just the tip of the iceberg — if given more touches by the coaches.
"I feel like there could be more to come," Mims said via conference call. "But just being out there, it feels great, especially last game, getting that kick return. Personally, I haven't gotten a kick return for a touchdown since high school, So that felt pretty good."
Indeed, after being close to breaking a couple of kick returns in Weeks 1 and 2, Mims blasted one wide-open against the Miami Dolphins, going 99 yards to the house about halfway through the fourth quarter. Alas, it was too little too late, but it was yet another reminder that the Broncos would be remiss not to find ways to get the rookie more involved in the offensive game plan.
After years and years of special teams ineptitude, it's been refreshing to see a significantly improved third phase for Denver. Mims' returning chops have been a big part of that.
"Just knowing how hard we work as a special teams unit, to see that breakthrough felt really good, and it's really good to get on tape," Mims reflected. "So just kind of taking everything that comes to me, making the most of our opportunity to get [touches]."
Entering Week 4, Mims needs 25 all-purpose yards to pass wide receiver Shane Swanson (453) for the second most in a player's first four career games in Broncos history. Mims is also 40 receiving yards away from passing wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (234) for the third-most in a player's first four career games in team annals.
As it stands, Mims' 429 all-purpose yards are the third-most in the NFL. If he can get 22 yards in Week 4, he'll pass New Orleans' Rashid Shaheed for the second-most all-purpose yards.
Mims is averaging 44 yards per kick return right now, and through three games, he's only been able to return one punt, though it went for 45 yards. The Broncos' defense could help the explosive rookie out by forcing more punts, but at this stage, that might be beyond the pale to ask of a unit that forced just one punt last week, allowing 10 touchdowns on 13 true offensive possessions.
As it stands, the Broncos' offense has been markedly improved over its 2022 iteration. Denver's passing offense is ranked No. 8, while it sits at No. 15 in total yards.
If Payton can clean up the turnovers, penalties, and his offense's woeful third-down and red-zone ineptitude, the Broncos could become a force to be reckoned with. But being smarter with where the ball goes, and not targeting players who've shown a propensity for butterfingers and giveaways (*cough* Courtland Sutton *cough*), would go a long away to that end.
Averaging just 16 offensive snaps per game, if the Broncos want to get Mims more involved, the only plausible path to that end is to increase his snap count on that side of the ball and create more plays that target his prodigious talents. Make no mistake, though: the rookie is confident he could make the most of any additional opportunities on offense, though he acknowledges that it's up to the coaches.
"I think it's kind of just with the coaching, different personnel groups. We work in basically all our receivers that suit up. So it's just the personnel groups in the situation of the game and also the situation of the downs, whether that's 3rd-&-long, 1st-&-10, all that different stuff. We have different plays for different situations. But it's just all up to the coaches, and really what formation they decide and what personnel group they decide to put on the field at that time."
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