Marvin Mims Jr.: An ideal blend of speed, quickness — and patience

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Marvin Mims Jr. didn’t make a big deal out of being named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against Buffalo last Monday night.

When asked about it in the Centura Health Training Center locker room this week, Mims responded, “I thought it was cool. That’s pretty much it, honestly. It was a cool moment, honestly. But you keep building and see what else comes from that.”

So, what else could come from it? Perhaps history, if he continues at his current pace.

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Only one other player has averaged at least 30.0 yards per kickoff return and 15.0 yards per punt return over a season since the Broncos were established in 1960. That player is two-time Hall-of-Fame finalist Devin Hester. Marvin Mims Jr. leads the NFL with a 20.7-yard punt-return average and is second with a 33.6-yard kickoff-return pace.

When asked if he expected this kind of start on returns, Mims replied, “Probably not. It’s kind of crazy, but the guys have really gone all out for me, blocking for me, and the coaches have done a real good job of drawing it up, so, I’ve just gotta go out there and execute, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”

On offense, however, Mims remains patient despite limited opportunities. Despite only receiving four passes in the last five games, as opposed to 11 in the first four weeks, Mims sees no reason to be discouraged. He said, “You’ve got Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton out there — and those are two great receivers. And everybody wants the ball, you know what I mean? That’s the thing that everybody wants to do. And it’s only my rookie year, so patience isn’t really a problem for me. Just go out there and do whatever I can to the best of my ability. I know it’s going to come on later in my career, for sure.”

He continued to refine his craft and improve his speed on the practice field, noting, “Yeah, definitely playing faster. Just hearing things out of the huddle, going to get lined up, instead of thinking about what I have, different stuff like that, just seeing the defense, knowing kind of what’s going to happen before the play starts. I think that’s probably the biggest thing.”

As for his work on special teams, Mims’ performance stands out with a bold statement and a pace that may make history.

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The Vikings’ defensive EPA (expected points added) per play over the last five weeks is a noteworthy figure. In that same span, the Broncos rank 10th, including impressive wins over the Green Bay Packers and Bills.