ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — To start, Marvin Mims Jr. was counted on mostly as a returner. Then, some receiver reps were thrown in. Now, he’s also spending time in the Denver Broncos’ backfield. Anything to get the ball into Mims’ hands more, so he can show off those fast feet.The speedy returner/receiver/runner has become a dynamic, multifaceted threat for the playoff-bound Broncos — a game-changer on special teams and as part of the Bo Nix-led offense. “It puts a lot of stress on (the defense),” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said of Mims’ versatility as the Broncos (10-7) prepare for their AFC wild-card round game Sunday at Buffalo (13-4). “He’s a talented player, and you have to get creative sometimes to get him the ball. It’s been working out well.”The second-year player out of Oklahoma recently was named to the Pro Bowl squad as a return specialist for the second straight season. That’s elite territory, with the only other player in Broncos history to be named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons being Von Miller, the talented pass rusher who’s now tormenting quarterbacks for the Bills.“Any time I can be recognized in the same stat as him, it’s amazing,” Mims said.The Broncos view Mims as their version of Cordarrelle Patterson, the longtime do-everything player now with the Pittsburgh Steelers. A facsimile, too, of San Francisco 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel.“It’s been great to see the growth that you hope you see in a player in his second year,” coach Sean Payton said of Mims. “We saw it right away as a returner a year ago, and we saw spurts. So it always just takes me back to, ‘Are we doing things? Can we find a role?’” They’ve been patient not to heap too much on Mims too fast. Although, he’s ready for any wrinkle in the playbook.“Honestly, it’s just memorization for the most part,” Mims said. “It’s really just being a playmaker and making plays (in) a certain situation. It’s never just …
