The Denver Broncos the offense looks like it’s finally starting to come together. After sitting on defense to start the 2024 season (as well as the last decade), the Broncos were able to come out and make an absolute slam at home against the Atlanta Falcons 38-6.

Scoring four touchdowns on their first five possessions, the Broncos were meticulously efficient and executed Sean Payton’s game plan to near perfection. Of course, the main reason for the Broncos’ offensive improvement is the weekly improvement made by rookie quarterback Bo Nix. However, Payton’s ability to figure out how to maximize the offensive plays at his disposal is also noteworthy.

One player who had been written off by many midway through the second year of his career was wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. Outside of a big game in Week 2 last season, he was extremely quiet and uninspiring as an offensive player .

After earning five snaps in the backfield against Kansas City in Week 10, the Broncos returned to Mims in a gadget role, lining up seven times in the backfield, four times in the slot and three outside. Mims didn’t make much of an impact as a rookie, but he did make two catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.

While Payton is an older coach, the innovative side of offensive design isn’t just a young man’s game. In Sunday’s postgame press conference, Payton praised Mims and his role.

“We’re finding new ways to get ‘Mimsy’ involved and he’s making some big plays,” Payton said.

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Mims brought special value to teams as a returner, but did not become a significant contributor at wide receiver. Many have even started circulating the “B-word” (bust) for Mims, considering the Broncos burned draft capital to pick him up and select him in the late second round in 2023.

However, maybe Mims isn’t just a wide receiver, but more of a playmaker. That’s what Payton’s personnel huddles have suggested over the past two weeks.

Mims also seems to accept the implementation of his gadget.

“It’s a lot of fun. You know, I always joke every week with the running backs that I need to put on weight, but we’ll see how that goes,” Mims said after the game. “It’s a lot of fun, giving the defense a different look. You can tell sometimes I don’t know what to do when I get back there in a running position.”

Indeed, Mims in the huddle and being moved from wide to the back creates pre-snap problems for opposing defenses, and Mims has noticed. Mims may never develop into a full-time receiver, but he’s embracing his innovative new role in the offense.

From being a primary decoy to create confusion on Nate Atkins’ opening touchdown to sliding out of the backfield for a 37-yard reception (and that’s not even including his 12-yard touchdown on a wide receiver screen), Payton finds new and smart ways to put the ball in the hands of their young players.

Entering the season, many analysts rated the Broncos as having one of the worst groups of offensive position players in the entire league. Denver had wide receiver Courtland Sutton as a known quantity, but the rest had ample health and skill questions.

Denver will likely need to continue to retool the weapons around its quarterback this offseason, but don’t count out some of the guys already on the roster, including Mims.

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