To say it has been a struggle for Denver rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims to get his hands on the football in Denver’s offense would be a Rocky Mountain Range sized understatement. The 2023 2nd Round draft pick, erstwhile of Frisco, Texas and the University of Oklahoma seemed poised to be the Broncos’ ultimate field-stretching tool. Targeted by head coach Sean Payton and picked 63rd overall in a trade UP to get him, Mims appeared to be a key piece in the pass-catching puzzle, next to Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton. That appearance was deceiving.

Averaging just 0.7 targets in weeks 7-9, Mims seems to have become an afterthought, out-targeting only backup-to-the-backup TE Chris Manhertz. In fact, Mims has seen his target share decrease from a season-high of 5 in Week 3, alone, to 5 total, since.

Payton, however, has pledged to change that. Addressing the press following the Broncos’ Week 9 BYE, Payton was asked about Mims’ involvement. Payton was quoted, “How do we get Marvin more touches?” (he) said it’s his job as a coach to get him more touches. “We’re going to work our tails off to move that needle to where he’s getting opportunities,” per Denver beat writer Zac Stevens.

Inasmuch as we can separate truth from “coach-speak”, Mims, who has averaged a plush 23.36 yards per catch on his measly 14 total targets in 8 games, is due for a huge second-half and is a target in all formats.