After a brief weekend scare, the Broncos had their fastest man healthy against the Bengals on Monday Night Football.
Receiver Marvin Mims Jr. is dressed and active for the Broncos on Monday, after the receiver landed on Saturday’s injury report as questionable with a hip injury. Mims is “full go,” a source told The Denver Post, and not limited against the Bengals.
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It’s a welcome sigh of relief for head coach Sean Payton’s offense, which has struggled through three games even as Mims hasn’t been heavily utilized. The Pro Bowl returner had a Pro Bowl-type breakout as a receiver in last year’s Week 17 matchup against these same Bengals, snaring a 51-yard touchdown bomb from Bo Nix in the fourth quarter and adding another game-tying score at the end of regulation to push that late-December game into overtime.
Mims entered Monday night with just six catches on 10 targets through his first three games, after his late-season momentum in 2024 seemed to set him up for a breakout 2025.
“I’ve just gotta be better,” Mims told The Post after recording just one catch on four targets in Week 1. “Be a better player, and make the most of my opportunities.”
Notable actives/inactives: Beyond Mims, the Broncos saw a notable shakeup in game-time activations for the first time this season.
Third-round rookie Sai’vion Jones dressed on the defensive line for the first time this season, as reserve DL Jordan Jackson was designated inactive. Jackson had been a sizeable piece of Denver’s defensive-line rotation with key DT Malcolm Roach on injured reserve, playing 21 snaps against the Chargers in Week 3. Jones has “developed at the right pace for us,” defensive-line coach Lou Ayeni told The Post in early September.
Tight end Lucas Krull, meanwhile, was also inactive for the first time this year. Krull has played 29% of the Broncos’ available offensive snaps this season, but has recorded just two catches for 15 yards.
Weather permitting?: By 3 p.m. Monday, the sky looked like twilight, thick clouds of grey spreading as a lightning warning descended upon Empower Field.
As thunder rumbled and the clouds opened, the Broncos’ usual gameday routine was pushed back. Players typically take the field for early warm-ups somewhere around 2.5 hours before the start of game time. There were no signs of activity until an hour and a half before game time.
Wallow elevated for final time: With Dre Greenlaw still away on extended quad rehab, the Broncos called ILB Garett Wallow up from the practice squad for the third straight game Monday. Wallow’s now out of elevations, meaning Denver will have to sign him to their permanent 53-man roster if they want him active for any games moving forward.
If they elect to leave Wallow on the practice squad, the Broncos have a few other spare names at linebacker to consider. Levelle Bailey has two elevations left, and rookie Jordan Turner has all three elevations remaining.
Denver signed Wallow at the beginning of August, and the 26-year-old has recorded two tackles and been a key special-teams contributor since landing back on the team’s practice squad after roster cuts.
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