Some teams, like the Detroit Lions, haven't done anything big so far this offseason. While that can often work out just fine, the Denver Broncos got off the schneid this week by making a trade with the Miami Dolphins for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Of course Waddle's arrival reconstitutes the Broncos' wide receiver depth chart and pecking order. Courtland Sutton isn't going anywhere, but a trio of young wide receivers now could be feeling some heat. While shopping any of them may not be at all on the radar, some trade interest is sure to come anyway.
Wouldn’t expect #Broncos to shop Troy Franklin/Marvin Mims even with the Waddle addition. Brass has said publicly they love the group, feels that way privately, too.
— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) March 17, 2026
Depth at WR was clear issue in loss to NE. No real sense slashing that again when there aren’t many other holes
The Broncos now have Jaylen Waddle, Marvin Mims, and Troy Franklin. With Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant in hand, gotta imagine they'll hear trade calls on Mims and Franklin
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) March 17, 2026
It's interesting that Luca Evans of The Denver Post and ESPN's Ben Solak both narrowed in, respectively, on two of the Broncos' three young receivers as not likely to be shopped and most likely to garner trade interest. Pat Bryant appears to be rather untouchable, while Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims are perceived as not.
But the Lions should simplify their potential trade interest by focusing on just one of those names.
Broncos have a perfect Kalif Raymond replacement for the Lions to go get
Even with a reduced offensive role in recent years, Kalif Raymond was a core part of the culture the Lions have built under Dan Campbell. He also became one of the better punt returners in the league over his five seasons in Detroit, so his departure to the Chicago Bears to reunite with Ben Johnson will be noticeable and his on-field role needs to be filled as seamlessly as possible.
The Lions have seemingly found their Raymond replacement after signing former Arizona Cardinals' wide receiver Greg Dortch. But his one-year deal is sure have very little guaranteed money, and thus few if any guarantees about a roster spot or a role despite his tie to offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
Dan Campbell's culture of competition has to be maintained, perhaps now more than ever before. Which brings us back to one of the Broncos' wide receivers who might be availabe, if not now than possibly eventually.
The peak of Mims' production as a pass catcher so far in his career was in 2024, when he topped 500 yards and had six touchdowns in his second season. He also has yet to play 400 offensive snaps in a season, and Waddle's presence might reduce that count even more.
READ MORE: Lions address a major flaw from last season with their three OL acquisitions
Where Mims has consistently thrived thus far his career is as a return man, with two Pro Bowl nods and two All-Pro Team selections (one First Team). The season he didn't earn either of those accolades was last season, and all he did was lead the league in punt return yards (452) while finishing second in punt return average (15.6). In 2024, he led the league with an average of 15.7 yards per punt return.
Mims' prowess as a return man has great value, as the NFL has efforted to bring that element back into the game. He has also arguably been very underutilized by the Broncos as a pass catcher, and that won't get any better with Waddle around.
Mims is also entering the final year of his rookie contract, and he could become expensive to retain next March if he has another nice season as a return man (see the contract Rashid Shaheed got from the Seattle Seahawks this offseason).
Maybe the Broncos have zero desire to trade Mims, and they'll tell any general manager that calls about him as much from now until proverbial eternity. But Brad Holmes should keep his eyes open to the possibility, since there is no better potential replacement for Raymond out there.