Stock up
Marvin Mims, Jr., the wide receiver
The rookie wideout in the past two games has been targeted seven times and has five catches for 186 yards and a touchdown. That’s 26.6 yards per target. And he’s done it despite playing just 31 snaps over that stretch. Not too shabby. The Broncos coaching staff so far hasn’t been willing to put the former Oklahoma standout on the field in more than part-time work. How much longer can that last? He’s Denver’s leading receiver through three games. He looks like the only player — outside of perhaps Jerry Jeudy as he gets healthy — that defensive coordinators are scared of on the Broncos offense.
Marvin Mims, Jr., the kick returner
Ok, there are only so many positives after a 70-20, so we’re stretching Mims further. His 99-yard kick return goes down as maybe the least impactful imaginable on a game. It cut the Dolphins’ lead to, uh, 63-20 in the fourth quarter. But hey, he took it 99 yards. And he’s got a 45-yard punt return on his ledger this year, too. So in that regard it is at least in some ways an indication of Mims’ dangerous return ability. The kid’s got juice. Now, how much help will he get?
Probability of a full-scale rebuild
The Broncos for the entirety of the post-Peyton Manning era have staved off a complete teardown and rebuild. But at some point it’s going to become the only real path forward if this trend continues. At 0-3, a turnaround isn’t impossible. But a Week 4 win against hapless Chicago isn’t going to engender a ton of confidence, either. Win the next two? Great, you’ve got the Chiefs on a short week. Lose Sunday on the shores of Lake Michigan and the speculation on selling the farm at the trade deadline commences in earnest. At that point everything’s in play, from jettisoning veterans to scouting the very top of the 2024 quarterback draft class.
Safety P.J. Locke
You know how sometimes the best MVP resume-builder is what a team does when that player isn’t available? Well, Locke’s not an MVP, but his absence certainly looms large with injuries to Justin Simmons and Caden Sterns. The Broncos thought they had four starting-caliber safeties on their roster at the end of training camp. Kareem Jackson’s the only one currently available and Miami took full advantage. Denver really needs Locke back, especially if Simmons (hip) misses more time. Locke should be close to ready to roll Week 5 when he’s eligible to return from injured reserve. The sooner the better.
Stock down
Head coach Sean Payton
There’s no hiding from this one, and Payton didn’t try to after the game. In 15 years as the head coach in New Orleans, he never lost by more than 31 points. Now he’s got a 50-point loss on his ledger. This one’s going to leave a mark for a long time, even if the Broncos put it behind them and play better going forward. The question is how Payton’s message and his staff’s work is impacted with the players now at 0-3. A lot of people in the building have choices to make that are arriving earlier than anybody could have anticipated.
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph
Yeah… It’s not great for Joseph. He returned to Denver looking for a career-propelling tenure as Payton’s defensive coordinator. Instead his unit has given up 122 points in three games and has the worst defensive performance in franchise history on its resume before October begins. This isn’t all his fault. Denver had speed issues before the season ever started. It’s been hit by injuries at safety. Joseph can’t win one-on-one matchups for the defensive linemen and outside linebackers. But accountability starts at the top and on defense, that’s him.
Edge Randy Gregory
The veteran outside linebacker started and played 34 snaps against the Dolphins and finished the afternoon with zero tackles. Not a one. Through three games this year, he has one sack and two tackles for loss. He had his first healthy offseason in a while and said he felt good through the preseason. But the explosiveness that’s been his on-field calling card over the course of his career has not returned so far in 2023. Gregory wants to be a leader in the OLB room and he’s open about wanting to live up to the big contract George Paton gave him in the spring of 2022. But this has been a rough start.
Pretty much everybody else
Nobody’s spared on a day like Sunday. Alex Singleton acknowledged he’s a veteran guy now and needs to find a way to stop the bleeding. He didn’t. Pat Surtain II almost never gives in but got toasted for the final touchdown of the game. Russell Wilson is the least of the Broncos’ problems performance-wise, but he missed his share of throws. Courtland Sutton dropped a touchdown and fumbled twice. Brandon Johnson’s penalties wiped two touchdowns off the board. The most impressive non-Mims thing that happened Sunday might have been Surtain running down Tyreek Hill after a big gain that got called back to a mere 15 yards. That’s how bad it was.
