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Broncos special teams coach gives his thoughts on Marvin Mims

Broncos special teams coach gives his thoughts on Marvin Mims

USA Today25-06-2025
The Denver Broncos have had one of the best returners in the NFL over the past two seasons in Marvin Mims. Now they have one of the best special teams coordinators in the league in Darren Rizzi.
Fans should expect big things from that duo in 2025.
'He's a player that I've always admired," Rizzi said when asked about Mims during mandatory minicamp. "We [the New Orleans Saints] watched him from afar, obviously played against the Broncos last year and had a chance to study him. He's a guy that seemed to show up on the plays of the week film every week. We would show our players great special teams plays from around the league, so I've always admired him. I remember him in the draft process because we had a high grade on him coming out, so now to get a chance to work with him, and work together with him [is] really exciting. There's still a lot of things he can do. I don't know if this kickoff return is getting as much publicity as it should. I think it's really going to change the game for the entire league this year.
"We're going to see a dramatic increase in returns. You look back last year, if I'm not mistaken, he had single-digit kick returns and people were just kicking touchbacks. This year, the analytics are going to tell you to put the ball in play, so I think he'll get more opportunities. I think the guy that's back there with him is going to get a lot of opportunities because I'm sure they'll try to play keep away from him as well. He's been a great leader with our younger guys, and I'm really excited to work with him during the season.'
In addition to totaling 545 yards from scrimmage and scoring six touchdowns on offense last season, Mims also returned 26 punts for 408 yards (leading the league with 15.7 yards per return), and he ran back seven kickoffs for 194 yards. Rizzi now expects the dynamic receiver to get even more return opportunities in 2025. Entering his third season in the NFL, Mims already has two Pro Bowl nods, a second-team All-Pro selection (2023) and a first-team All-Pro selection (2024) on his resume. Mims is an explosive weapon for Denver, and his stock continues to trend up.
Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
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