The Denver Broncos didn’t wait long to react after Marvin Mims Jr. went down at Friday’s practice.
In the span of a day that already featured some bad injury news at wide receiver, Denver added a pair of receivers to the 90-man roster, and the timing of one move in particular is what has people around Broncos Country on edge.
Jaylen Waddle was the first Broncos receiver to get hurt, suffering a muscle strain in his left leg that head coach Sean Payton said should keep him out for 4-5 days. Then came Mims, who pulled up while running a go route, left practice, headed to the training room and was visibly upset before exiting the field.
After that, the Broncos moved quickly.
According to Luca Evans of The Denver Post, the team had already worked out Rowan and liked him, but did not plan to sign him right away. Rowan flew back to Utah, then got the call after Mims pulled up with an injury and was sent right back to Denver that same night after the Broncos took a closer look at Mims.
Per source: Broncos worked out Rowan, liked him but didn’t plan on signing right away, he flew back to Utah, they called back after Marvin Mims pulled up with injury at practice today and flew Rowan right back to Denver. https://t.co/0yD8SNxk2G
- Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) August 8, 2026
That sequence says plenty, even if the Broncos still haven’t said exactly what happened with Mims.
Rowan is a familiar name for Denver. He was with the team during training camp last year and also spent time on the practice squad in 2025.
So this isn’t some random emergency pickup from nowhere. Still, the way the Broncos circled back to him so fast makes the Mims situation feel more serious than a routine camp tweak.
And that matters because Mims is not just another receiver fighting for snaps. He may be fourth or fifth on the depth chart, but he’s the Broncos’ only real answer in the return game right now.
Last year’s punt and kickoff return depth was rough, and there were multiple reminders of that. One of the clearest came in Houston, when Michael Bandy had to replace an injured Mims at punt returner and muffed a punt right away, giving the Texans a short field and a free 3 points.
The Broncos had planned to search for help in the return game during the 2026 NFL Draft, but they came away empty there. They found a few post-draft players with some upside, but the early camp word is that several of the other candidates in the return competition are even struggling to cleanly catch punts.
So the timing here is brutal for Mims. He’s trying to carve out a bigger offensive role this year, and he’s also working toward a new contract. That’s why his frustration on the field made sense.
The Broncos have already been hit by a string of camp injuries, including the first cart appearance of training camp for defensive lineman Matt Henningsen, who suffered a ruptured Achilles for the second straight year during camp. Mims at least walked off under his own power, but Denver’s rapid move to bring in more receiver help makes it hard to feel great about what comes next.
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