When the Denver Broncos traded away Devaughn Vele last week, it showed that they thought it was more important to go thin with the receiving room in order to allocate an extra roster spot elsewhere. Less than a week later, the already-thin depth took a hit, as Marvin Mims Jr. suffered an injury to his groin that caused him to leave Wednesday’s practice early.
Mims was not on the field at Thursday’s practice, but head coach Sean Payton was not overly concerned about the injury for his young receiver, and said that he avoided anything serious.
“Pretty fortunate all things considering,” Payton said after practice on Thursday.
If all things go to plan, Mims should be back at Broncos practice on Monday. The team will get the next three days off before hitting the ground running for game week against the Tennessee Titans.
The Broncos need Mims to be healthy this season. He is arguably the best punt returner in the NFL, and can take the top off a defense like he did multiple times down the stretch of the 2024 season. It seems that Payton has big plans for him going forward, but a groin injury is one that can really impact the start of his season given that his speed is his best asset.
BO NIX WITH AN ABSOLUTE DIME TO MARVIN MIMS JR. FOR A 93-YARD TOUCHDOWN 😤 pic.twitter.com/DDtQPMFD80
— ESPN (@espn) December 3, 2024
Injuries have been an issue for the Broncos throughout training camp and the preseason. Nik Bonitto, Alex Singleton, Drew Sanders and Nate Adkins all underwent procedures to fix their ailments, while other key players like Dre Greenlaw have missed some time dealing with more minor issues. Mims is just the newest name on a laundry list of various injuries, a true sign that football is back.
Payton didn’t reference anything about Week 1 when talking about Mims’ injury, just the fact that he should be back Monday. If he’s slated to practice Monday, that’s a good sign that he should be ready for the season opener next Sunday.