The Denver Broncos are going to need to fix their snap distribution among their wide receivers after this inexcusable Week 1. When the Broncos traded Jerry Jeudy, the man many of us thought was going to be featured more was/is Marvin Mims Jr, the team's most explosive player in that room.
The Broncos also signed Josh Reynolds in free agency, and Reynolds is nothing more than a serviceable veteran option.
However, the Broncos snap counts among their wide receivers in Week 1 are just flat-out not going to cut it, and at this point, it's time for the team to manufacture touches for Mims. Just check out the WR snap counts from Week 1:
Broncos offensive snaps vs Seattle. Mims not getting the WR snaps expected upon Jeudy trade. pic.twitter.com/HWW2E7jODV
— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) September 9, 2024
Here they are so you can read them more easily:
Courtland Sutton - 63
Josh Reynolds - 55
Devaughn Vele - 34
Lil'Jordan Humphrey - 21
Marvin Mims Jr - 12
Twelve. TWELVE?!
What is up here? Why did Lil'Jordan Humphrey, who was elevated from the practice squad, get nine more snaps than Mims? Why did the seventh-round rookie in Devaughn Vele get nearly three times as many snaps as Mims?
This is all so confusing to me. Another massive issue I have with this snap count distribution is not seeing Troy Franklin anywhere on the list. Franklin was an inactive for Week 1, and being that the Broncos current WR room cant't get consistent separation, not only does Mims need to see the amount of snaps that Devaughn Vele saw, but giving Troy Franklin 10-15 snaps in Week 2 would also be wise.
You have to hope that Sean Payton recognizes these failures as the Denver Broncos prepare to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2. Bo Nix is a rookie, and efficient WR play is going to great help his development. Trotting out this snap distribution most weeks is just not going to work.
Heck, the team should take this even further and consider bringing a free agent in like Hunter Renfrow or Michael Thomas. That surely can't hurt, either. The team made quite the decision to cut WR Tim Patrick during the roster cutdown period, and it does feel like Patrick's presence would help out here.
The Denver Broncos traded up into the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft to take Marvin Mims Jr, and he earned All-Pro honors in year one for his work as an elite return specialist. Why hasn't he been getting more snaps on offense?