Broncos' Marvin Mims Jr. Gets Good News with Massive NFL Rule Change

At NFL Owners Meetings in Palm Beach, FL, some rule changes are discussed and voted on. One of the rule changes was to move the spot for touchbacks to the 35-yard line instead of the 30.

The change is good news for the Denver Broncos, particularly for All-Pro returner Marvin Mims Jr. Let's examine why.  

The 2024 rule change only saw 33% of kickoffs returned, and moving the touchback from the 30 to the 35-yard line is projected to increase returns to 60-70%. There is also a domino effect for other aspects of the game with increased returns.

While Mims has had a solid start to his career overall, he has been remarkable on special teams, and this change should see the Broncos glean even more out of the exciting young player. 

In both years of his career, Mims has been a Pro Bowler due to his work as a punt returner. He only has 22 career kick returns for 591 yards and a touchdown, but with the rule changes last year, Mims had seven kick returns. With the projection of returns from the rule change, we should see a year similar to his rookie year for Mims, where he had 15 returns for 397 return yards and a touchdown. 

However, another question for the Broncos in general is this: With the threat Mims poses, will teams look to angle their kickoffs away from the dangerous returner, and if they do, who do the Broncos have as their other returner?

In 2024, three other players handled nine returns. Safety P.J. Locke is the only one who's still under contract, and he handled one. Cornerback Levi Wallace handled one, and cornerback/returner Tremon Smith dealt with the other seven. Wallace and Smith are gone, and while Trent Sherfield was Denver's special-teams signing last month, it wasn’t for returner ability. 

Do the Broncos have a guy on the roster who can handle those duties? Ideally, they can find a threat because Mims is such a talented returner that teams will likely kick him away.

This rule change greatly benefits the Broncos, so they reportedly favored it. Darren Rizzi was one of the special teams coaches who helped develop the changes.

The initial proposal last year had it at the 35-yard line, but it got moved back to 30 during the process. Now, it's back to the original design. 

Rizzi was in Palm Beach as a liaison for the rule change, and he projects returns to climb over 70%. As Mims' new special teams coach and collaborative designer of the changes, Rizzi undoubtedly has some ideas up his sleeve to help Mims be even more dangerous as a returner with these changes. 

With these changes to kickoff returns and what he can bring as a punt returner, the expectation for Mims should be to make his third straight Pro Bowl. It could also lead to his third selection to the All-Pro Team, after he made it as the kick returner for the second team as a rookie, and the first team as a punt returner last year.

While Mims has had a slow start on offense, finally finding a role about midway through last season, he's been a special returner since the Broncos drafted him. Now they need to find him a returner counterpart in case teams find it too dangerous to kick to Mims.