One of the many revelations of the Denver Broncos' 'marvelous' 2024 campaign was the emergence of second-year wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. Already a Pro Bowler and All-Pro by virtue of his elite returner ability, the onus was on the Broncos to figure out how to translate Mims' dynamic third-phase impact into offensive production.
It took about half the season, but Broncos head coach Sean Payton finally cracked the code, inserting Mims as a move-around weapon. Some might call it a 'gadget' type of role, but Mims would line up as a running back, motion around, line up in the slot, and out wide.
Kaboom...
Mims took the NFL by storm as an offensive force to be reckoned with, and the most gratifying aspect of his display was his emergence as a wide receiver, where he came in quite clutch at times down the stretch for young quarterback Bo Nix, including in critical moments.
Earlier this week, Broncos GM George Paton shared his insight on how Mims managed to take his Year-2 leap.
“Yes, he really did. He took that next step. Sean used him a little differently than we had in the prior two years," Paton said of Mims. "He’s just grown. He’s grown as a pro. You can see the confidence when he started getting touches, and [when we] used him in different areas, he just took off. I think it has to do with confidence, kind of the way we used him and the way we incorporated him in our offense.”
No doubt about it; Mims' confidence over the second half of the season was palpable. It was plain as day. And the hope is that after what he achieved on offense and how we was once again decorated as a dual Pro Bowler and All-Pro returner, that confidence will continue to grow and help shape Mims into an even sharper weapon moving forward.
Finishing with six receiving touchdowns in 2024, Mims capped off the season with back-to-back games with double receiving scores. He finished with just 503 receiving yards on the season, but 447 of those yards were from Week 10 on.
Extrapolated over an entire season, Mims' down-the-stretch production would equate to 950 receiving yards and nearly 13 touchdowns through the air. And based on Payton's epiphany and the novel way in which to use Mims, we can confidently assert that he was just hitting his stride as the season came to a close, as evidenced by not only the back-to-back two-touchdown games but also his two 100-yard receiving performances in the final five weeks.
To further bolster Mims' outlook, Nix is on the precipice of his second year, having developed rapidly under Payton. Starting every game as a rookie and seeing all the coverage looks and pressures — combined with the chemistry Nix established with his supporting cast through that 18-game war of attrition (counting playoffs) — he's poised to turn in an impressive sophomore campaign, especially with Payton in his corner and with the arrows the team has place in his quiver.
When it comes to a possible Nix quantum leap forward in Year 2, perhaps no other current Bronco stands to benefit more than Mims — a second-round pick for whom Payton traded up to draft out of Oklahoma in 2023. The Broncos have a four-year competitive window with Nix on a cost-controlled rookie contract, but embedded within that timetable are two more seasons of control over Mims before he becomes very expensive.
