Payton Gives Weak Answer on Failure to Use Broncos' Most Explosive Weapon

After an offseason replete with assurances that the Denver Broncos had a plan for an expanded role for wide receiver Marvin Mims, Jr., it hasn't shaken out that way. Through four games, Mims has been targeted just four times, catching two passes for a whopping 19 yards.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton pointed to Jerry Jeudy's jettison via trade this past offseason as the opportunity to get Mims more involved. And fans loved hearing it. After all, Mims was the Broncos' second-round pick last year, and went on to earn Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors as a rookie returner.

Early in the 2023 season, Mims was a featured part of Payton's offense, and through the first quarter of the campaign, he was on pace for a 1,000-yard season. That trajectory had a lid put on it in Week 5 when Mims was involved in two turnovers that led to a rather humiliating 31-21 loss to the New York Jets. We never saw him featured again on offense.

So with this as the backdrop of the Mims issue, Coach Payton was asked again on Friday about what it'll take to get the second-year pro involved in the offense. Suffice it to say, the, at times, testy head coach wasn't much in the mood to discuss it in depth.

“I hear you. Listen, there are a lot of guys that we would like to get more catches," Payton said. "So again, you’re giving me a statement, and I’m telling you his role. I mean I can go through the script with you. He’s very important to what we’re doing in a lot of different ways. We’ll continue to use him, and I’m glad to have him.”

Payton's not wrong about the Broncos having many unsatisfied mouths to feed at receiver. In what has been a low-volume passing offense thus far with rookie quarterback Bo Nix at the helm, even his No. 1 target — Courtland Sutton — would prefer a few more bites at the apple in a perfect world.

Josh Reynolds could relate, no doubt, as could Lil'Jordan Humphrey and rookie Troy Franklin. For his part, though, Franklin has enjoyed a steady uptick in usage over the past two games. Mims has not.

Part of the problem has been the disjointed offense, where nobody is thriving. Still, to only have received four targets through a quarter of the season, there's something more going on as it relates to Payton's continued freezing out of Mims.

It's a puzzle because Mims is one of the Broncos' most explosive and dynamic playmakers. To boot, he brings something to the table that no other Broncos receiver does: straight-line speed, short-area burst and quickness, and the type of elusiveness that made him an All-Pro returner as a rookie.

With how much the Broncos are throwing the ball horizontally, you'd think Payton would want to exploit Mims' talents in this department by ensuring he receives a fair share of targets. But, no. Instead, these passes are thrown to the painfully slow (sorry) Sutton, Reynolds, and Humphrey.

Now, that trio of big-bodied receivers can do some damage vertically and with slants and curls, but the type of high-percentage horizontal passes that have been the hallmark of Nix's rookie campaign thus far, Mims is exactly the type of receiver you'd think that Payton wants catching those passes because of his ability to make would-be tacklers miss, and pick up precious yards after the catch.

It's also worth mentioning that somewhere in this equation, Mims must shoulder the blame. There's a reason the Broncos seemingly don't have confidence in using him on offense, even though he remains the team's primary kick and punt returner.

We'll continue to scratch our heads over the Mims issue as the season marches on. For now, it seems the former Oklahoma star is still somehow in Payton's doghouse.