Three players to watch for the 2024 Denver Broncos

 The Denver Broncos path forward : Draft and Develop

By Andrew Sharp

Bo Nix isn’t the only young player that Sean Peyton needs to continue to see improvement over the course of the Denver Broncos 2024 season.  When the Broncos waived veteran receiver Tim Patrick, Sean Payton made it clear that he was going all in on the young offensive core players that had been drafted since he arrived in Denver.  

After a very slow start offensively in the first half against the Seattle Seahawks in week 1, Sean Payton said it was on a lot of the other offensive players to “step up”. 

Sean Payton postgame press conference.

Here are the three players drafted by the Broncos who need to emerge in the coming weeks for the Broncos offense to show it can produce points to win games:

Greg Dulcich:

Since the departure of Julius Thomas in 2014, the Denver Broncos have been searching for their next super star at the position.  Within the AFC West, Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders rookie Brock Bowers already represent excellence and production at this position.  Greg Dulcich has to stay healthy and develop his own play throughout the season.  

Dulcich showed flashes of brilliance during the 2023 Broncos campaign but was sidelined off and on for the duration of the season with multiple hamstring injuries and a later a foot injury. Dulcich only appeared in 2 games with a paltry 3 receptions for 37 total yards in 2023.  At this point, Dulcich being available for more than 12 games would be an improvement.  He needs to be on the field and become a go to target for Bo Nix THIS season for the Broncos offense to make significant progress.

Marvin Mimms:

The Denver Broncos had no 1st round draft pick in the 2023 NFL draft, their first selection in the 2nd round was Marvin Mimms.  Coming out of the University of Oklahoma, Mimms was seen as a game breaker known for his quick first step and overall speed.  

Mimms' role as a rookie was also supposed to breathe life into a dreadful Broncos special teams unit. A continually poor unit that hadn’t had a good special teams kickoff and punt returner since Trindon Holliday   Mimms finished the 2023 season with 19 total punt returns, averaging 16.4 yards per return.  His kickoff statistics were slightly better with 15 total kickoff returns, averaging 26.5 yards per return with one spectacular 99 yard return for a touchdown.  Respectable yes but nothing even close to Holliday.  Worse yet, Mimms had more total fumbles lost (2) than he did total return touchdowns (1).  With the NFL essentially eliminating the kick off for the foreseeable future, it will be imperative that Marvin Mimms becomes a polished receiver to add explosiveness to the Broncos offense in 2024.  

Devaughn Vele:

Despite being ruled out for the Broncos home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Vele is clearly part of the Broncos efforts to move forward with their young core of offensive players.  The Broncos decision to part ways with veteran receiver Tim Patrick before the start of the season means there is an opportunity for Devaughn Vele to fill the role of the Broncos go to possession receiver.  Not only did they attend the University of Utah for their college careers, Tim Patrick and Devaughn Vele have eerily similar physical characteristics at the NFL combine.  Vele being ruled out of a game by week 2 is concerning but not time to worry about his long term health and availability which plagued Tim Patrick in the later years of his Bronco career.

Most of the NFL national media and fans don’t really know the young core offensive pieces for the 2024 Denver Broncos.  It’s up to the players and Sean Peyton to develop them into a cohesive and productive unit.  If they are successful in doing so, this young core could take the Broncos offense to new heights and beyond. Eventually show the rest of the NFL that this young Broncos core is an up and coming offense to watch as the 2024 NFL season unfolds.