ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- When the Denver Broncos' wide receivers gather, Marvin Mims Jr. has the look of a point guard in a sea of power forwards. Yet the smaller-built Mims could have a lot to say about how many touchdowns the Broncos' passing offense generates this season.
"It is wild," the 5-foot-11, 182-pound Mims said. "Definitely, go around the room, big, big and more big. And then me. I don't think I'm small, they're just big."
"It's a lot of fun," added Courtland Sutton, who stands 6-foot-4. "... Me, Tim [Patrick at 6-4] and L.J. [Lil'Jordan Humphrey at 6-4] were walking together and somebody said we were about to go to an AAU basketball tournament. It was hilarious."
It's a tactical effort on Broncos coach Sean Payton's part. In training camp, seven of the 12 wide receivers on the roster are 6-foot-3 or taller. That group includes Sutton, who led the Broncos in receptions (59), receiving yards (772) and receiving touchdowns (10) last season.
But when the Broncos traded the 6-foot-1 Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns in March, it was with a discerning eye directed at Mims, whom the Broncos picked in the second round out of Oklahoma last year. That's because Mims, who was a Pro Bowl returner as a rookie last season, flashed the big-play ability that the Broncos generally lacked en route to an 8-9 record in 2023 and are searching for again this season.
"I feel like that's my best trait, being an explosive playmaker," said Mims, who had two catches for 17 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos' 34-30 preseason-opening win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. "I was able to show it throughout the offseason, in the return game, and a little bit at receiver."
Mims had four of the Broncos' seven receptions of at least 47 yards last season. Two of those catches came in Denver's Week 2 loss to Washington, a game in which he finished with 113 yards receiving on those two receptions. He then had three receptions for 73 yards the following week in the crushing loss to the Dolphins, which gave him 195 receiving yards through the first three weeks and made him an early threat to set several Broncos rookie receiving records.
That didn't happen, as Mims had only 182 yards receiving in Denver's final 14 games, registering eight games where he had one or fewer receptions. His 384 offensive snaps were fourth among the receivers, behind Sutton, Jeudy and Humphrey.
Payton has stated several times that the Broncos want to avoid a similar production/playing-time erosion this season.
"We were as much responsible for, I don't want to say holding him back, but you're trying to get snaps with Jerry Jeudy, with Courtland [Sutton]," Payton said earlier this offseason. "I think we'll see a lot of growth [in Mims] from Year 1 to Year 2. He's tough."
Like most of the Broncos' receivers, Mims has had limited opportunities to show his downfield impact in training camp practices, given that quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Bo Nix are in a heated battle for the starting job and are trying to limit mistakes and higher-risk throws.
"I think the coaches have confidence in me and they've said I've made big strides in those routes, the routes underneath and in the intermediate," Mims said. "... It will be interesting to see how I can maybe force people to do things with coverages if I do my part."
Mims, who finished 2023 with 22 receptions for 377 yards and one touchdown, said he moved into the offseason hoping to add a little more strength to create additional separation from defenders beyond simply using his speed. The 22-year-old said he spent much of his time away from the team working on increasing his suddenness and explosiveness as he moves in and out of breaks in pass routes.
"Especially at the top of the routes, I just felt like I could be more explosive," Mims said. "Really strengthening my lower body. I just think the biggest thing overall was my body physically.
"As a rookie you come from college to training for the combine, which is different than playing, then get right with your team. So I really wanted to train this offseason the whole time to be ready. I ended up going up a little in weight and losing body fat, but I feel like I want to feel."
The Broncos' offense -- receivers included -- might not be able to fully "tailor" itself, as Payton puts it, until the coach selects a starting quarterback. Then the real chemistry work begins.
"You just want to have impact, help us do good things, make plays that matter, do it right," Mims said. "That's where I'm at, I've shown glimpses, I want to do more."
