Broncos LT Garett Bolles Predicted to Achieve Pro Bowl Nod in 2024

Is a first-ever Pro Bowl nod on the immediate horizon for Denver Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles?

Oct 8, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles (72) before game New York Jets at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos are a team in search of difference-makers. After trading away valuable draft assets for a quarterback in 2022 and a head coach in 2023, and also taking on an unprecedented dead-cap hit to release Russell Wilson, it’s not a surprise the Broncos' depth chart appears to lack difference-makers across the board, on paper.

Boasting a league-leading $67.9 million in dead-money hits on the salary cap this year, it’s no wonder why many NFL talking heads don’t expect a good season from Denver. Vegas has the Broncos' win total at just 5.5 wins.

While the outside perception may be that Denver lacks the talent to compete this season, don’t tell that to Payton and his players. One reason for internal optimism is that very early signs indicate that the Broncos may have finally found a worthwhile long-term option at quarterback.

After selecting Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick, Payton’s highest hand-picked quarterback of his head-coaching career, the young quarterback has played well in camp and preseason and earned the starting role. If Nix does wind up becoming a franchise quarterback, the tune surrounding the Broncos will change quickly.

In the NFL if you don’t have a quarterback, your season is very likely DOA from the very first snap. When a team ambles around quarterback purgatory much as Denver has since Peyton Manning retired, many quality players fail to receive the accolades that comparable (and sometimes lesser) guys do because of the quality of the roster surrounding them and simply fewer eyes on the product.

Quinn Meinerz’s play the last few seasons earned him a monster four-year, $72 million extension this offseason, but very little buzz about being a player of that caliber was being whispered outside of Denver. However, if Nix is indeed the player many hope, hopefully, the recognition for players in Denver will start rolling in again.

Left tackle Garett Bolles is one player who could step up and earn more spotlight if Nix leads Denver to a quality season. Entering his eighth season in the league and final year of his contract, Bolles’ play has been up and down during his time in the Mile High City.

However, according to NFL.com’s Kevin Patra, Bolles could be in line for his first Pro Bowl berth of his career this season. 

"The former first-round pick made a second-team All-Pro squad back in 2020 but has been shut out of the Pro Bowl in his first seven seasons in Denver. It's time that changed. Bolles is an excellent blind-side pass protector, allowing fewer than five sacks in six of seven seasons, per PFF. The veteran has curtailed some of the penalties that plagued him early in his career and has become a rock along the Broncos' line. With Bo Nix taking over as the future under center, Bolles' play will be even more important in 2024. If Sean Payton's crew surprises in the AFC West, the LT will surely get the flowers he deserves," Patra wrote.

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The reality of the offensive tackle position is that there simply is a far greater demand for 6-foot-5, 320-pound dancing bears with 34-plus-inch arm length than actually walk the earth. While many fans dream of perfection at tackle, consistency and competency at the position will often earn a massive contract or early draft pick just given how scarce quality players at the position are in the league.

To start his career, Bolles was an inconsistent offensive tackle despite possessing the physical traits and demeanor to play the position. Bolles put on a phenomenal 2020 season that earned him a new contract from the Broncos.

However, after an injury-shortened 2022 season and an okay but ho-hum 2023 campaign, Bolles enters the final year of his second contract in Denver. One would think that if the Broncos were all in on Bolles, they would have offered him a new contract, lowered his current salary cap hit of $20 million (the highest on the team), and secured his services beyond 2024. That hasn't happened yet.

Overall, Bolles is a fine starting left tackle. Sometimes his technique fails him, and he ends up holding the opposing pass rusher, but if he were to hit the open market, he would be quickly snatched up and compensated well for his services.

Starting-caliber offensive tackles are just so hard to find. The Broncos still might let him walk in the end and open up a vacancy at the blind side.

If Bolles plays at a Pro Bowl level like the article predicts, it would be hard to stomach that, and Denver might be eager to retain him. However, given that Denver hasn’t already offered him a new deal and one that would likely drastically lower his cap hit and relieve some dead cap stress, perhaps the team prefers the flexibility of moving on as opposed to a longer investment.

Instead of Bolles, two Broncos come to mind who might be more deserving of a spot on this list of first-time potential Pro Bowlers: the aforementioned Meinerz and defensive lineman Zach Allen. Both players are ascending talents who were recently paid handsomely by the Broncos.

Both also play less “sexy” positions that will likely require team success, on top of the big contracts, in order to garner national exposure and interest. Both appear to be players in line for a big season and could be set to take on more of a leadership role under the relatively new regime.

Keep an eye on all three as Denver’s chances for a first-time Pro Bowl bid this season.

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