Marvin Mims Jr. turned on the jets and took off.
During the 11-on-11 period of the Broncos’ organized team activities on Thursday, quarterback Jarrett Stidham threw a beautiful deep ball across the field as Mims snuck behind the defense to make a touchdown catch, highlighting a strong practice for the second-year wide receiver.
Broncos coach Sean Payton expects Mims to have a larger role on offense this season, saying, “I think we’ll see a lot of growth from Year 1 to Year 2.” At the same time, the former Oklahoma standout understands he has to continue making plays like his touchdown grab on Thursday to gain the opportunity for more offensive snaps during games.
“It starts on the practice field,” Mims said. “If I take care of my business out here, (it will translate) to the game.”
Payton once again took the blame for holding Mims back during his rookie season. While Mims was named to his first Pro Bowl as a returner in 2023, he had just 22 catches (33 targets) for 377 yards and a touchdown as a wide receiver. Payton thought the offense struggled to generate enough touches across the wide receivers room. But with Jerry Jeudy now in Cleveland, there’s a chance for Mims’ production to go up.
Mims said this year feels “night and day” compared to when he arrived in Denver as a rookie last summer. He thinks things will be a lot smoother, as he has a better grasp of the offense and route concepts.
More importantly, Mims feels healthier than before.
“I feel the best I’ve felt in a while,” Mims said.
As a whole, Payton has liked what he has seen from the wide receivers and looks forward to watching how the competition at the position plays out. He’s been impressed with the energy and youthfulness within the group that consists of Mims, rookies Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele, all of whom have stood out during OTAs.
“I think size is certainly something you see at the receiver position right now,” Payton said. “This first half of OTAs has gone really (well.) We are younger, and you feel that at practice.”
Here are six more observations from practice on Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit.
• Denver had a strong attendance Thursday, but wide receiver Courtland Sutton, rookie running back Audric Estime, linebacker Drew Sanders and defensive end John Franklin-Myers were the notable players not present on the field. Payton said Estime had a procedure done on his knee and is expected to be a full-go by training camp.
• Tight end Greg Dulcich, cornerback Riley Moss, safeties Caden Sterns and Delarrin Turner-Yell worked on the adjacent field. Meanwhile, running back Samaje Perine and cornerback Pat Surtain II participated in drills but did not scrimmage, instead drifting over to the side field.
• Over the last two viewing periods of OTAs, the Broncos have done a good job at moving the secondary around. Players like Ja’Quan McMillian and rookie cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine have received a fair share of snaps on the outside and at the slot. McMillian was solid in coverage as he broke up Bo Nix’s pass to Mims.
• With the new kickoff rule in place, Payton was asked whether he would consider having a position player kick the ball to have an extra tackler on the field.
“If you have that player then it’s a good idea,” Payton said. “But I don’t want one of every four going to the 40 (yard line) because (the ball) was kicked out of bounds. I think you will see a lot of change in every one of us, and I’m anxious to see it.”
• Payton enjoys using OTAs to look at different rotations at various positions. When it comes to the center spot, Nix took snaps from center Luke Wattenberg last week. And on Thursday, second-year Alex Forsyth snapped the ball to Nix, while lined up with the starting offensive line from last season.
“My message to the coaches is to rotate them in there,” Payton said. “I’m not going to look at a practice snap and get upset that (a certain player) is (on the field) with this group. This is the time of the season where you can do that and not worry about the quarterback getting hit because you have a younger offensive lineman at one position.”
• Payton has noticed that safety P.J. Locke and outside linebacker Baron Browning have taken on leadership roles on defense. Payton encourages all the players to step up as leaders but understands that comes organically.
“It’s something that evolves,” Payton said. “But it has felt a lot different (this year). There’s something about the (youthful) energy that we’re going through right now. That’s contagious.”
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