The Broncos will be without wide receiver and All-Pro returner Marvin Mims Jr. for a second straight game.

Denver on Wednesday ruled Mims out for Thursday night’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Empower Field at Mile High due to a concussion. That could put wide receiver Michael Bandy in line to again be elevated from the practice squad to return punts against the Raiders.

The Broncos also ruled out cornerback Pat Surtain II (pectoral) and tight end Nate Adkins (knee), who both also will miss a second straight game. They listed reserve safety P.J. Locke (neck) as questionable.

While it was known Surtain and Adkins wouldn’t be ready to return on a short week to face the Raiders, Mims appeared to have a chance to be back after suffering his concussion Oct. 26 against Dallas. With the Broncos holding walkthroughs, he was listed as a limited participant on estimated injury reports Tuesday and Wednesday.

With Mims sitting out Sunday’s 18-15 win at Houston, Patrick Bryant moved up to No. 3 receiver after Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin. Running back Tyler Badie took over duties as the kick returner alongside running back RJ Harvey. And Bandy was elevated from the practice squad to return punts.

Bandy had four returns for 30 yards. However, late in the first half, he muffed a punt that bounced in front of him and the Texans recovered and got a field goal on the final play of the half.

“Obviously, we made a bad decision fielding a punt,’’ said Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.

Mims this season has 22 catches for 234 yards and is averaging 27.8 yards per kickoff return and 12.4 yards per punt return. He is a two-time Pro Bowl selection and was named first-team All-Pro last season when he led the NFL with a punt-return average of 15.7.

Denver on Wednesday brought in former Broncos wide receiver Jalen Virgil for a visit. The Broncos have a roster spot open after waiving defensive back J.T. Gray on Tuesday with an injury designation.

Virgil is adept at special teams and can be used as a returner. Playing with the Broncos as a rookie in 2022, he had two catches for 75 yards and a touchdown. He spent 2023 on injured reserve for Denver and played only on special teams last season with Buffalo.

For the game against the Raiders, the Broncos do not need to make any roster moves, including elevations from the practice squad, until 2 p.m. Thursday.

Shanahan, Reeves advance in HOF quest

Former Broncos coaches Mike Shanahan and Dan Reeves have advanced in consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2026.

Shanahan and Reeves last month made a cut by a committee to 12. On Wednesday, the Hall of Fame announced they made a cut by the committee to be among nine semifinalists.

The committee will select one finalist Nov. 18. The finalist will need 80% of the vote next year from the Hall of Fame selection committee to be enshrined.

Bill Belichick, a semifinalist who won six Super Bowls with New England, is the favorite to be the finalist. Other semifinalists are Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Marty Schottenheimer and George Seifert.

Shanahan coached the Broncos from 1995-2008, winning Super Bowls in the 1997 and 1998 seasons. Reeves, who died in 2022, coached the Broncos from 1981-92 and took them to three Super Bowls, all losses.

Alex Gibbs, who died in 2021, was among the final 12 but did not make the cut to nine semifinalists. He was Denver’s offensive line coach from 1984-87 and 1995-2003.

Broncos on Thursday games

Opinions vary on the Broncos about whether they like playing Thursday games.

“I’m not the biggest fan of it, but I do whatever I can do to help my team win,’’ said nose tackle D.J. Jones.

“You’re playing the game and getting that weekend off,’’ said tight end Evan Engram. “It’s like a mini bye. I honestly love Thursday night games. You got to kind of grind early in the week and you get a prime-time opportunity and then you get to chill for the weekend.”

Broncos coach Sean Payton said his “thoughts don’t matter” on whether or not he likes Thursday games. But he said plenty of knowledge has been gained over the years about how to prepare for such games.

“We have learned a lot relative to the recovery,’’ Payton said. “There is constant advancement. How important the sleep is (and) the walkthrough (rather than having practices). All of those things are things that maybe years ago we weren’t as knowledgeable with.”

Engram remaining patient

Engram’s numbers midway through the season aren’t what many had expected, but he’s remaining patient.

Engram has 26 receptions for 215 yards while having played in eight of Denver’s nine games. His average of 3.3 catches per game and 26.9 yards per game are below the averages of 4.6 receptions and 45.6 yards he had in his first eight NFL seasons with the New York Giants and Jacksonville.

“We’re 7-2, so I’m just happy we’re winning,’’ said Engram, who last March signed a two-year, $23 million contract. “I just want to stay ready when my number is called more. So I’m definitely excited to where we’re at and looking forward to continuing to improve”

Briefly

The Broncos will wear throwback uniforms again Thursday. They wore them against the Cowboys and will don them for a final time in the regular-season finale Jan. 3 or 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers. … Broncos kicker Wil Lutz recently made a 68-yard field goal in practice. The NFL record for a game is 68 yards, set Sunday by Jacksonville’s Cam Little. … On the Raiders trading wide receiver Jakobi Meyers on Tuesday to the Jaguars, Jones said, “He wanted to get out. They did right by him.”