Broncos Rookie Marvin Mims Jr. Reacts to Pro Bowl Nod: 'A Great Honor'

Pro Bowl selections may not carry the weight they perhaps once did. It used to be that making the Pro Bowl meant wearing pads in the game and still involved some hitting.

These days, NFL players prefer stashing away Pro Bowl accolades so they can roll them out when it comes time to enter into contract talks. Still, tracking the Pro Bowl roster each year gives valuable insight as to where a team's real strengths are.

This year's Pro Bowl nods earned by cornerback Patrick Surtain II and veteran safety Justin Simmons highlight the Denver Broncos' strengths. Surtain is an elite player who is getting used to picking up a steady stream of awards, but he headlines a formidable Denver secondary.

On Thursday, in the wake of his most recent Pro Bowl selection, Surtain also got word that he'd won the Demaryius Thomas Team MVP honor for the second straight year.

Surtain's team MVP distinction was respectfully received with due deference to the man for whom the award is named, but he did humorously remark that he's running out of space to keep all his awards these days.

"They're stashed away in the basement in the crib," Surtain said via the team website. "I've got a little room, so I've got to come up with a new side of things.".

On the other hand, rookie return specialist Marvin Mims Jr. garnered a Pro Bowl nod after excelling as a return man in 2023. In the bigger picture, Mims' inclusion in the festivities in Orlando points to the vast improvements the Broncos have made on special teams since Sean Payton took over.

Mims spearheads the Broncos' kick and punt units, both of which rank No. 1 in average yards per return, and he's also one of only four players to return a kickoff for a touchdown this season. Such plays have become scarce due to the NFL's rule changes in recent years to mitigate head injuries. 

Payton is known for his offensive aptitude, but his resume is replete with special teams success, so perhaps the Broncos' rapid turnaround shouldn't come as a huge surprise. The decision to draft the explosive Mims to fill a specific need was inspired but also required diligent coaching if it was going to pay dividends.

On Thursday, Mims reacted to the rare accomplishment of earning a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie. Only four rookies in team history have ever achieved it, and only two Broncos previously had ever been named to the Pro Bowl as a return specialist. 

"It's a great honor. It's a huge testament to my teammates and the special teams units. They gave me great looks all season. We kind of led the league in both return averages and it ended up working out great. So just to be able to be recognized as a Pro Bowler for this Conference and then just representing our special teams unit, it's a huge honor." 

It's easy to criticize a player for not making the right decision on a punt or kick return, especially when there's a muff or a fumble, but it's a rare breed who can maintain focus and poise with the ball in the air, knowing that 11 elite 200-pound athletes in armor are flying down the field at full speed looking to take your head off. That's where the team aspect comes into play — a well-blocked return allows the guy with the ball to trust that his 10 other teammates on the field will keep it "clean." 

"Sometimes it can be a little nerve-wracking, looking up and having 200-pounders running full speed at you," Mims admitted, "but getting it and looking, it's always been pretty clean for the most part. There's been rare cases where it's not really clean. I have to make a little play out of it, but for the most part, it's been clean. Just trying to get vertical and get as much yards as I can while also trusting the return and just trusting my teammates." 

Mims also compared how different third-phase football is in the NFL compared to the college game.

"It's a little different. In college, right when the ball's snapped, everyone can kind of run down the field, but in the NFL, you're given way more space," Mims said of the differences once in the pro game. "Then, just the coaching aspect of it. You spend way more time on special teams coaching in the NFL than you do in college. Just the ins and outs of it, being able to learn more, and knowing what veteran guys like [CB] Tremon Smith know about special teams—[FB] Mike Burton. Bouncing ideas off them and just putting it on the game field. It's more of a read-and-react type of play on special teams, so just go out there and react."

Burton being named a Pro Bowl alternate is bound to please the Broncos' entire coaching staff enormously. Burton's selfless work on special teams largely goes unnoticed, but his diligent hard work and attention to detail can cross over when he plays fullback with the first-team offense.

Earlier this week, Payton shined the spotlight on Burton picking up two key blocks last Sunday to free up wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey to make a pivotal 54-yard touchdown romp last week against the Los Angeles Chargers.

"This kind of play goes in that little category for me that is pretty special," Payton enthused on Monday. "When you think you're playing hard, take a peek at this. I was not aware of it. I was only aware of the pickup. 'LJ' [WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey] has to bounce off about five people for the fullback to get ahead of him, but I'd never seen something like that. It was a special play."