The Broncos had a problem on Sunday night, and Kolbe Katsis turned it into a breakthrough.
With Marvin Mims Jr. sidelined for the second straight game against the Los Angeles Rams, Denver elevated the undrafted rookie returner from the practice squad and gave him his first shot under the lights on Sunday Night Football. Katsis made it count. He brought back three punts for 39 yards and four kickoffs for 107 yards, finishing with 146 total return yards in his NFL debut.
That number mattered in a big way. Katsis’ 146 return yards were the most ever by a Broncos returner making his debut, topping Goldie Sellers’s 144-yard mark that had stood since 1966.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton came away impressed with what he saw from the rookie, especially after watching that same burst show up in camp and the preseason.
“You never know in that first moment and you could see the preseason games, but the one return was the spark force, the punt return," Payton said of Katsis post-game. "I thought- you guys saw him in the preseason, you could see and feel the juice on the sidelines with the kick returns.
I think it was good first night, if I’m him. He’ll probably sleep better than me.”
Katsis’ path to the field opened because of the Broncos’ roster juggling last week. Denver placed rookie running back Jonah Coleman on injured reserve and signed long snapper Mitchell Fraboni to the active roster, which created the space needed for Katsis to be elevated. In the first two games, the Broncos had to use one of their two practice squad elevations on Fraboni because they couldn’t play without a long snapper.
Against the Rams, Denver also elevated fullback Adam Prentice for the third time. That matters now because Prentice has maxed out his three elevations, leaving the Broncos with a decision: sign him to the 53-man roster or waive him.
The team would prefer to keep Prentice on the practice squad, but that route gets messy now. He’d have to clear waivers first before Denver could bring him back, and that creates real risk. So the Broncos could end up signing him to the active roster early this week, which would require a corresponding roster move.
Special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi had his eye on Katsis before the draft, and the Northern Arizona product eventually joined Denver as a college free agent after the draft. It didn’t take long for him to make noise.
The 24-year-old stood out in preseason return work, enough to spark a roster debate between Katsis and veteran wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey, since Katsis is technically a wideout. Denver chose Humphrey, waived Katsis at final cuts, and then brought him back after he cleared waivers and landed on the practice squad.
From there, Katsis stayed ready. He worked on the scout team and helped the Broncos prepare for opponents each week until his first call-up finally arrived.
His emergence also adds another wrinkle to Marvin Mims Jr.’s situation. Mims has been dealing with a string of injuries in his contract year, starting with a soft-tissue issue that kept him out for most of camp and the preseason.
He then suffered a foot injury in the preseason finale, worked back in time for Week 1, and then hurt his shoulder in the opener. He finished that game, but hasn’t played since, though he was a limited participant in practice last week.
The signs point toward Mims being close to returning, and Denver doesn’t need to force the issue. The Broncos can elevate Katsis two more times before they’d have to either sign him or waive him, which gives them some breathing room if Mims needs more time.
Still, Katsis’ debut changes the temperature around Mims. If the Broncos don’t bring Mims back beyond 2026, Katsis could end up being part of the reason. Mims’ biggest value to Denver has been his return ability, and while there’s room to hope for more offensive involvement, the Broncos already have plenty of talent at wide receiver.
For now, Katsis made the most of his moment. And if Denver wants to keep leaning on that spark, he could be back on the field again as soon as this week against the San Francisco 49ers.
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