The Lead
Rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims had his fingerprints all over the Broncos' thrilling wins in the first half of their season and has emerged as one of Denver's most electric playmakers in his first season. Mims is one of only two players in the league with a kick return touchdown, and he's also established himself as a downfield threat on offense.
In an article selecting players to a midseason All-Rookie team, the staff at The Athletic highlighted Mims as its special teams standout, while noting he was in close consideration for a selection at wide receiver as well.
"Mims … wasn't far from landing as an honorable mention at receiver, too," The Athletic editor Chris Burke wrote. "The Broncos have to keep finding ways to get him the football because he's a home run threat whenever he touches it. Look no further than his 99-yard kick-return TD against Miami or the 20.3 yards he has averaged on seven punt returns — if he had enough chances to qualify for the NFL's leaderboard, he'd rank first in that category."
Through eight games, Mims is averaging 22.4 yards per catch with 246 receiving yards and a touchdown, and he's recorded a combined 346 return yards on his 13 returns. In the Broncos' win over Kansas City, Mims returned the first punt he fielded 31 yards to start Denver's first possession in Chiefs territory.
On Monday, Head Coach Sean Payton complimented Mims' playmaking ability and said the Broncos need to make sure they get Mims the touches he needs to make an impact every single week.
"How do we get Marvin more touches, and how do we incorporate him more into what we're doing offensively?" Payton said. "I'm sitting here looking at a notepad with his jersey number on it in front of me. That's our job as coaches. We really believe we have a good young talented player.
"Obviously, there are other players on the offense that deserve the same type of attention relative to play design. We're going to work our tails off to move that needle where he's getting opportunities, not only in the passing game. He just does a lot of things well, and he's really good with the ball in his hands."
