Despite a Stacked OT Draft Class, Garett Bolles Poised to be Broncos' Starting LT in 2020

Here's why fans shouldn't be surprised to see Garett Bolles starting at left tackle again next season.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Such is the same in life as it is in football. 

Believing in a player who is appearing to ‘turn the corner’ and starting to realize their own potential, only to see that player plummet back down to the inconsistencies that plagued them before is infuriating and leads to distrust and spite.

Such is the case with the Denver Broncos’ offensive tackle Garett Bolles. Selected with the No. 20 overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft out of the University of Utah, 'Bolles’ has become a trigger-word in Broncos’ Country. With his inconsistencies in his technique, his propensity to draw numerous penalties, and his confused ‘hands in the air’ post-penalty go-to move, Bolles has become a whipping boy of sorts for Denver fans and media alike.

The criticisms surrounding Bolles are not unwarranted. He has had issues in his consistency as a pass blocker, ups and downs in the running game, and of course, the penalties. 

It’s not just the inconsistencies that grow tiresome watching Bolles, but just how high variance his play be from snap-to-snap and week-to-week. Every time Bolles seems to be starting to ‘get it’, he would crash back into bad habits, getting beaten and then resorting to holding an opposing pass rusher, with the issues snowballing from there. One bad snap will lead to many as it gets out of control.

Bolles is cognizant of these issues, as he stated earlier in the season, in comparison where one bad played would seemingly turn into many: 

“Bad plays are going to happen, that’s football and not every play can be perfect but if you just continue to move forward and continue to put your head first and know that the next play, that’s all that matters," Bolles said. "One play is a bad play, you always can just get back to the next play and do your job that you are supposed to do.”

Bolles started the 2019 season rough. According to Pro Football Focus, through the first nine weeks of the season, Bolles surrendered a total of four sacks, two quarterback hits, 20 hurries, 26 pressures, and 11 penalties. A good chunk of this can be attributed to the Broncos' statuesque quarterback in Joe Flacco, but there is little question Bolles was not playing well. 

However since the bye week, Bolles does appear to be playing better overall. Accounting for a total of zero sacks, one quarterback hit, two hurries, three pressures, and four penalties, Bolles does appear to be trending ‘up’ in the least. 

While the spike in play in Bolles’ pass protection warrants some optimism, it should be noted that this is not the first time he has shown this. After having some poor games to start the 2018 season, Bolles went on a run from Weeks 11-14 where it appeared it was really starting to click for him. Unfortunately, he closed out the final two weeks of the season as he has many times in his career, losing his consistency in technique and resorting to penalties in which he was called for four times over the final two weeks of the season. So even if Bolles does appear to be trending back up once again, can he be fully trusted going forward?

Taking Ownership 

One thing of note that does point to Bolles finally starting to ‘get it’ and trending up is that he apparently is putting in the extra work to improve this season. Unlike in the past some when connected to the team, such as strength and conditioning coach Matt McChesney who has worked with a number of Broncos’ offensive linemen to improve their strength and technique outside Dove Valley, have questioned Bolles’ work ethic and receptiveness to coaching, Bolles has apparently hired a personal offensive line coach during this season in Ken Zampese. Zampese is a long-time offensive coach and former Bengals offensive coordinator with a plethora of experience in the league and working with offensive linemen. 

The fact that Bolles is opening up his own pocketbook and seeking outside additional help, similar to that of a struggling student hiring a tutor, can only be a positive sign in regards to his drive to improve his game.

Unfortunately for those many in Broncos Country who are done with Bolles starting at left tackle, if he can keep up his consistency down the stretch and the Broncos win even just one more game to close the season, the odds for Bolles listed as a starter again Week 1 next season continue to increase. 

The OT Landscape 

Given the vast number of horrible teams this year in the NFL, and considering 32 out of 32 organizations are looking to improve their offensive line, the odds of an offensive tackle worthy of the selection being there when the Broncos are on the clock seems like a pipe dream.

Of course, there is always a chance that one of the current ‘big three’ offensive tackle prospects in Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, and Alabama’s Jedrick Wills, Jr. falls to Denver, picking in the likely range of 10-16, but it’s more likely the O-line-desperate teams of the Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Los Angeles Chargers gobble up a chance at one of the highly touted tackles before Denver has a chance. 

There will be those fans that scream ‘offensive line no matter what’ but unfortunately, they will need to get in line behind the majority of teams with the same mission statement. 

So with the Broncos very likely playing their way out of the top-10 in the upcoming draft, considering Denver will likely win at least one of the next two games, does that mean the Broncos should look into the free agency class? 

Given the Broncos’ recent history of signing free agent offensive linemen, that is also a somewhat trepidatious proposition. With $18,552,084 equating to approximately 10% of the Broncos entire 2019 cap being spent on Ja’Wuan James three 2019 appearances, Ronald Leary who appeared to be playing through injury to start the season and now is shelved with a concussion, and the ghost that is Menelik Watson, spending money on the offensive line just to spend it is a risk.

Given the demand for offensive line, specifically that of offensive tackle, if one hits the market, there is typically a good reason for that. Teams simply do not let good tackles hit the market and when one does, or even just a solid one, they have a chance to reset the tackle market with teams tripping over themselves to even find competency. 

Hoping a tackle such as the Colts’ Anthony Costanzo hits the market is extremely unlikely (especially given how much cap room the Colts have to spend). The odds of Denver landing Costanzo is about equivalent to that of Bolles turning it around and becoming an All-Pro tackle in 2020. 

Could he happen? Sure. Anything could happen. However, it would be unwise to bet or depend on it.

Undoubtedly there are some reading this article who, at this point, have a gnawing feeling in the pit of their stomach. “Holy cow. He’s right… Bolles might be the starting left tackle for Denver to start the 2020 season. The offense is DOOMED!” 

Even despite Bolles playing better down the stretch, it’s hard to trust him. Fool me once… 

And even if he is playing better, how much of that is because teams are scheming to attack the right tackle instead because for as much as Bolles has been struggling, he has been a Pro Bowler in comparison to Elijah Wilkinson on the other side. All valid points, and yet the reality is Bolles very well may be the starting tackle come next season.

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Silver Lining 

So now, time to talk everyone off the ledge. Bolles has been sporadic in his time starting at left tackle, this is true, but he has been playing better recently. Given how raw he was coming out of college, having only been playing the offensive tackle position for approximately five total years, the technique and consistencies of playing on the offensive line were always going to take some time. 

The lack of consistent progress has been frustrating, undoubtedly, but player progress is not linear. The Broncos possess one of the greatest offensive line coaches in the entire NFL in Mike Munchak, who has developed and cobbled together many great lines in the league. 

Perhaps this recent peak in Bolles’ play is thanks to gaining experience, perhaps something has finally ‘clicked’. Either way, there is reason for some hope and optimism.

Pragmatically speaking, Bolles also has possessed one of the most important traits that any player can have; durability. Unlike James, Bolles has shown to not be held up by dings and bruises. Whether it be toughness, luck, or anatomy, Bolles’ ability to see the field consistently in comparison to that of James has further hammered home the common scouting moniker “the best ability is one’s availability.” 

For as inconsistent as Bolles can be on the field, at least he is consistently on the field. Furthermore, and as crazy as it sounds, Bolles’ 2019 play is at least equitable to his contract. 

Coming in as just the 55th highest-paid offensive tackle this season accounting for $2,758,034 against the cap according to Over the Cap, Bolles isn’t a detriment to Denver financially. By no means is he ‘cheap’ but the return per dollar could be far worse, especially considering Pro Football Focus has Bolles’ graded at 70.2 ranking as the 26th-best offensive tackle to play half their team’s reps so far this season, one could even argue Bolles actually carries some value. 

Should people expect more from a first-round pick at tackle? Of course, but dollar value compared to his peers a team could do a lot worse.

Given Bolles’ struggles in his career to date, it is impossible to feel great about penciling his name in as the starting left tackle for another season. In fact, it would be an absolute shock if the Broncos exercised the fifth year option on him to retain his services in 2021. His play has not been good enough and the risk in having to pay him the bump for the fifth-year option seems highly unlikely. 

However, given the demand for even serviceable tackles in the NFL, the fact that this team cannot depend on James given the issues he has had this season, and Denver seemingly playing their way out of the top-10 and losing their chance to nab one of the top three tackles in the draft, Bolles may have to do at least to start the 2020 season.

This does not mean all hope is lost for the Broncos at tackle and along the offensive line. Again, Bolles has indeed been playing better down the stretch and has one of the best teachers in the game in Munchak. Maybe he will figure it out. 

The Broncos would be silly, however, to not at least consider alternatives. Given how the top of the 2020 tackle class is shaping out, and the possibility of not only Bolles hitting the market after 2020 but James as well, Denver is set up to be in the market for tackle early and often even if they miss out on Wirfs, Thomas, or Wills.

Outside of the emerging ‘big three’, the 2020 tackle class is going to have a good number of options at tackle that will go in the first two to three rounds of the draft. USC’s Austin Jackson, Alabama’s Alex Leatherwood, Houston’s Josh Jones, TCU’s Lucas Niang, Georgia’s Isaiah Wilson, Auburn’s Prince Tega Wanogho, and Louisville's Mekhi Becton all seem like prospects that have the upside to start in the NFL. If the Broncos’ do miss on tackle early in the 2020 Draft, they at least have a good chance at nabbing a tackle for Munchak to groom, push both Bolles and James in 2020, and replace either of them by 2021 at the latest.

It’s not ideal to depend on Bolles or James next season in any fashion, but again, that is the case for almost every NFL team. There are more starting offensive line spots in the league than starting-caliber offensive linemen. 

Even still, the Broncos could do much worse than Bolles at left tackle in 2020. He may not be the tackle that Broncos Country wants, but he may be their best option come next season. 

With improvements and Munchak in his pocket, there is hope. However, just like his highs last year only to crash back to start this season, if he fails again, it’s on the Broncos more than Bolles… Fool me twice.

Follow Nick on Twitter @NickKendellMHH and @MileHighHuddle.