Jaylen Waddle gets open in a flash.
He doesn’t slow down as he changes direction. But when he hits the brakes, it’s instantaneous.
The Broncos’ newest offensive gravitational force is also quick to the point when discussing one of his teammates in particular.
“I’m a big fan of Marvin Mims, I’m not going to lie,” Waddle said Tuesday.
Waddle’s arrival might have spelled bad news for Mims and Denver’s other pass-catchers vying for playing time behind Courtland Sutton, but instead what has blossomed is a fast friendship between fast guys.
“He’s a great teammate,” Mims said of Waddle. “Just knowing all he’s done from his days at Bama and then to Miami, he’s somebody you can respect as soon as he walks through the door. He doesn’t have to do anything.
“But then you watch him and you watch the way he moves, it’s insane. I can’t even explain it. He’s just one heck of a player.”
Broncos training camp report: WR Jaylen Waddle exits practice with ‘muscle tightness’
A funny thing has happened along the way, too: Instead of being suppressed or less involved with Waddle’s arrival, Mims is off to the fastest training camp start of his career.
That doesn’t guarantee anything come September or December, of course. Still, it’s better than the other way around for a player who has never settled into a consistent, full-time role and for whom a gap exists between the way the coaching staff talks about him and what his actual week-to-week involvement looks like.
Mims has been talked about as a breakout candidate essentially ahead of each of his professional seasons, but offensive his numbers have looked like this:
2023: 38% offensive snaps, 22 catches (33 targets), 377 yards, 1 TD
2024: 27% offensive snaps, 39 (52), 503, 6 TD
2025: 37% offensive snaps, 37 (51) 322, 1 TD
“As far as play-making, getting opportunities to do different things with (new offensive coordinator Davis) Webb and the changes we’ve made offensively, I think it’s been good,” Mims said. “I’ve accepted the challenge. I think I’ve done well. I’ve got good feedback.
Marvin Mims Jr. (19) of the Denver Broncos beats Christian Gonzalez (0) of the New England Patriots for a deep reception during the first quarter at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
“Just try to keep it rolling and stay healthy.”
Mims is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is one of several key players on the team who are set to be free agents after the 2026 season. Given the way the wide receiver market is heading league-wide and also the fact that he’s a two-time All-Pro return man, a good Year 4 for Mims will set him up to cash in, whether with the Broncos or elsewhere.
It’s impossible to avoid thinking about the future altogether, but Mims said getting into the grind of camp has actually helped.
“You’re just here all day,” he said. “Being around the guys kind of helps, too. All this offseason, it’s just like questioning what everything’s going to look like. It’s my first time being, whatever you even call it, going into a contract year. But hoping for the best. We’ll see what happens. There’s no telling.”
It isn’t difficult to tell, though, that the early stages of camp have buoyed Mims’ confidence after he expressed uncertainty about what his role might be over the summer. Mims has a new receivers coach in Ronald Curry. He’s working under a new play-caller in Webb. He has, if not a clean slate, then at least a fresh set of opportunities that may lead to a similar role as the past three years but also seems to hold the potential for more.
“We’re kind of in the same positions but in different formations,” Mims said. “Guys can do different things. So it’s fun to see how everything plays out in practice. We don’t know where everyone is going to be yet, but at the same time we want to see what everybody can do, what complements what, who complements who.
“It’s a lot of fun. We’ve got a lot of great guys. We’re deep.”
The battle for snaps behind Waddle and Sutton is a fierce one. Pat Bryant enters his second season as the group’s best perimeter blocker and perhaps its best in-traffic operator. Troy Franklin had 104 targets last season. Lil’Jordan Humphrey is always involved.
After Mims made play after play in the postseason, however — only when he was forced onto the field by injuries to others — Payton has been consistent about wanting Mims to get the ball more.
He brought it up again early in camp.
“If you just looked at when we’ve called on him for those opportunities, he’s come down with a lot of plays,” Payton said.
Perhaps this summer is different. Perhaps Mims can carve out a real, consistent role. He seems to feel the potential for that, even if it’s early in camp and even though he doesn’t know for sure.
Amid all the continuity, Mims is one of the returning players who could end up benefitting most from what new there is on offense.
Certainly, the Broncos’ blockbuster spring addition thinks so.
“He’s very explosive,” Waddle said. “I love watching him work. I love being in meetings and just picking his brain. Marvin is a big play always ready to happen. You’ve got to respect that kind of speed, man.”
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