Tag: Garett Bolles

Garett Bolles makes PFF’s list of Top 101 players in the NFL

Congrats to Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles for making PFF’s list of the top 101 players in the NFL!

Before the NFL’s new year began on March 13 with the official opening of the free agent tampering period, Pro Football Focus released its list of the top 101 players from the 2023 season. Only one Broncos player made the list: left tackle Garett Bolles.

Although Bolles made the list at No. 99 out of 101, PFF praised the 2017 first-round draft pick.

“Bolles was an iron man for the Broncos, playing more than 1,000 snaps at left tackle and earning excellent PFF grades in the process,” Sam Monson wrote on PFF’s website. “He posted an 83.8 PFF pass-blocking grade, the second-best mark of his career.”

Bolles has been a stalwart member of the Denver offensive line since he was drafted. Bolles had severe holding issues at the beginning of his career, but eventually, coaches saw enough improvement in his play to reward him with a four-year, $68 million extension in November 2020. That deal will expire after the 2024 campaign.

Do the Broncos keep Bolles around after 2024, or will he be another veteran casualty of a rebuilding franchise? Only time will tell.

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Garett Bolles now the longest-tenured Broncos player

Following the departure of Justin Simmons, Garett Bolles (2017) is now the longest-tenured Bronco remaining on the team.

After the release of Justin Simmons by the Denver Broncos on Thursday, left tackle Garett Bolles became the longest-tenured player on the team. Technically, wide receiver Tim Patrick also joined the team in 2017, but he joined the squad mid-season on the practice squad.

Simmons had been the longest-tenured player on the Broncos (eight years) — he was selected by Denver in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft. Simmons had been one of the most productive and steady defensive players on the Broncos since he came to the team. Simmons had endured five different head coaches (Gary Kubiak, Vance Joseph, Vic Fangio, Nathaniel Hackett and Sean Payton) during his time in the orange and blue.

Now, Bolles takes the place as the oldest current player on the franchise, at seven years. Bolles was the Broncos’ first-round selection in the 2017 NFL draft, and despite suffering a season-ending injury in 2022, has been a steady face on an ever-changing offensive line. Bolles has been a favorite of Denver media and fans.

Bolles may be a candidate to have his contract restructured in order for the Broncos to get under the salary cap before the league new year begins on March 13.

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8 potential cap casualties for the Broncos ahead of free agency

The Broncos need to create more salary cap space and the contracts of these players could put them in danger of getting cut.

With the unofficial start of NFL free agency just over one week away, the Denver Broncos are more than $14 million over the salary cap.

The Broncos will need to free up cap space just to re-sign some of their in-house free agents. Denver will need to create even more cap space if the team is planning to target any pending big-name free agents from other clubs.

There are various ways the Broncos could free up cap space, including trading players, restructuring contracts and giving extensions to select players. The simplest option is making roster cuts.

Denver is expected to release quarterback Russell Wilson in the coming weeks, but that (expected) move will create “dead money” against the salary cap. There are several other players who the Broncos could cut this spring to actually create more cap space ahead of free agency.

Here are eight players to keep an eye on over the next two weeks. Potential cap savings reflect a cut with a post-June 1 designation (if applicable), with the numbers provided by OverTheCap.com.

5 players the Broncos could trade to create salary cap space

The Broncos might receive trade interest in these five veterans this spring.

The Denver Broncos currently hold just six draft picks and they are projected to be $24 million over the salary cap. The Broncos could address both of those dilemmas through trades this spring, freeing up cap space and acquiring more draft capital by parting ways with pricy veterans.

Pat Surtain likely has the most trade value on Denver’s roster, but he is the club’s best player and still playing on a team-friendly rookie contract. The Broncos seem unlikely to trade Surtain (perhaps unless they attempt to trade up for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft).

We didn’t include Surtain on this list because he is young and affordable, exactly the kind of player Denver should build around. Barring a blockbuster move for a top quarterback prospect, PS2 is presumably safe.

These five other players could be available, though. The Broncos might not draw much interest for a few of them, but the team would probably be willing to part with any of them — if the price is right.

Potential salary cap savings provided by OverTheCap.com. 

Titans suggested as potential trade partner for 2 Broncos players

The Titans were suggested as a potential trade partner for two different Broncos players.

The Tennessee Titans are in the market for offensive line and wide receiver help in 2024 as the team begins its rebuild, which will be centered around quarterback Will Levis.

While Tennessee’s entire offensive line was bad in 2023, the left tackle position was no doubt the worst of the bunch. Adding to that, Titans wide receivers not named DeAndre Hopkins struggled mightily to get open.

Knowing all this, it comes as no surprise there is no shortage of speculation involving the Titans and wide receivers and offensive linemen who may be available this offseason, whether that be through free agency or trade.

In two separate articles, the Titans were pegged as a potential trade partner with the Denver Broncos for a left tackle and wide receiver. Let’s take a look at both scenarios and what we think about each one.

Garett Bolles hopes to finish career with Broncos

“I’d love to be a Bronco for life,” Garett Bolles told 9News. He’ll have a $20m cap hit in 2024 before becoming free agent in 2025.

The Denver Broncos are projected to be $24 million over the salary cap this offseason, which could lead to some tough decisions.

The Broncos might choose to trade — or even release — select veterans with large cap hits this spring. Denver left tackle Garett Bolles is set to have a $20 million cap hit in 2024, and the team could save $16 million if they release him.

The veteran tackle has an uncertain future, but he hopes to finish his career with the Broncos.

“I’d love to be a Bronco for life,’’ Bolles told KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis at NFL Honors last week. “I think it speaks volumes for a player who can play his entire career with one team.”

Bolles, 31, has been around the NFL long enough to know nothing is guaranteed.

“I’d love to be in Denver,” he said. “It’s where my kids grew up. It’s where my wife is. It’s where they go to school. But at the same time the good Lord knows where I need to be. It is a business.”

Instead of releasing the tackle, the Broncos could get some cap relief by giving him a contract extension, pushing some of his cap hit into the future. That’s one of the many options Denver’s front office will consider this spring.

“I love everything about Denver,” Bolles said. “The fans. The people. The organization from top to bottom. I’m just very grateful to be a Denver Bronco.”

Bolles is under contract to remain a Bronco through the 2024 season, but anything could happen in the next few weeks. The NFL is a business and the Broncos might have other plans, but Bolles hopes to remain in Denver.

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5-step plan for the Broncos to get under the salary cap (with $35 million available)

The Broncos are projected to be $24 million over the salary cap this offseason. Here’s how they can fix that.

With the official start of NFL free agency (March 13) exactly one month away, the Denver Broncos are facing a salary cap dilemma.

The Broncos are projected to be about $24 million over the salary cap this offseason, so the team will have to get creative if they want to spend in free agency this spring. Denver can create more cap space through restructures, trades and player cuts.

With help from OverTheCap.com, we’ve come up with a five-step plan to get the Broncos under the salary cap with room to spare. These projected moves are made presuming that Denver will designate quarterback Russell Wilson as a post-June 1 release next month (which isn’t guaranteed, but seems probable).

If Wilson is cut and designed as a post-June 1 transaction, his salary cap hit won’t be different than his current 2024 cap hit ($35.4 million), according to OTC. So the team’s projected cap space factors in Wilson’s (expected) release.

Here’s how the Broncos can get out of the red this offseason.

Broncos’ offensive line took a big step forward in 2023

The Broncos’ offensive line was ranked 21st by PFF in 2022. After Sean Payton made several changes, the unit ranked 7th in 2023.

When Sean Payton arrived last offseason, one of his first big tasks was fixing the Denver Broncos’ offensive line.

By the end of the 2022 campaign, the team’s starting offensive line was Cam Fleming, Quinn Bailey, Graham Glasgow, Quinn Meinerz and Billy Turner. Payton quickly made big changes.

Glasgow was cut and Turner walked in free agency. Fleming and Bailey were re-signed as backups. Garett Bolles and Lloyd Cushenberry returned from injuries and Meinerz was the only Week 18 2022 starter assured of keeping his job in 2023.

When free agency opened, Payton immediately gave big contracts to guard Ben Powers and right tackle Mike McGlinchey to give the team a new starting lineup of Bolles, Powers, Cushenberry, Meinerz and McGlinchey.

Pro Football Focus is not infallible, but the website is useful. PFF ranked Denver’s offensive line 21st out of 32 units in 2022. After the 2023 regular season wrapped up, the Broncos’ offensive line was ranked 7th by PFF.

That represents a huge turnaround up front for Denver. Cushenberry is now scheduled to become a free agent, but the Broncos appear confident that 2023 seventh-round pick Alex Forsyth will be prepared to start in 2024.

Cushenberry’s free agent status gives the unit some uncertainty going into the offseason, but a Bolles-Powers-Forsyth-Meinerz-McGlinchey lineup would still be a much better scenario than Denver’s lineup in 2022. There’s always room for improvement, but the Broncos’ offensive line took a step forward in Payton’s first season.

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10 players who might play their last game for Broncos on Sunday

The Broncos will need to get out of a salary cap hole in 2024, and these players might become cap casualties.

The Denver Broncos will wrap up their 2023 NFL season on Sunday when they face the Las Vegas Raiders on the road in Week 18.

Once the final whistle blows, the offseason will begin immediately for the Broncos, and coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton are poised to have a busy spring with many challenging decisions.

Denver is projected to be $18 million over the salary cap in 2024, according to an estimate from OverTheCap.com, and that’s before potentially releasing quarterback Russell Wilson and creating an even bigger cap mess.

The Broncos will have to dig out of a salary cap hole this offseason, forcing the team to make some tough decisions. To become cap-compliant, Denver will likely have to part ways with multiple players either through cuts, trades or free agency.

Ahead of the team’s season finale, here’s a quick look at ten players who could play* their final game for the Broncos on Sunday. (*We’ve also included a few injured/benched players who could depart in 2024.)

Pro Bowl voting update: Good news and bad news for Broncos players

Be sure to cast your #ProBowlVote for these deserving Broncos players!

Initial results from fan voting for the 2024 Pro Bowl are in and they offer a mixed bag for Denver Broncos players.

The Broncos have five players ranked among the top 10 vote-getters at their respective positions, but Denver also has a few very notable omissions.

Broncos center Lloyd Cushenberry has received the tenth-most fan votes at his position (fifth-most among AFC centers). Safety Justin Simmons has received the third-most votes at safety (second in the AFC behind Geno Stone of the Ravens). Kicker Wil Lutz has received the eighth-most votes (fourth-most in the AFC). Ex-Denver kicker Brandon McManus (now with the Jaguars) has received the ninth-most votes among kickers.

Broncos returner Marvin Mims ranks ninth among returners (fourth in the AFC). It’s going to be hard for any AFC returner to top Dolphins returner Braxton Berrios in fan voting given that Berrios is dating a social media influencer, likely leading to more votes for him on social media.

Denver fullback Michael Burton ranks eighth among fullbacks in fan voting (fourth among AFC fullbacks). It’s not very difficult to rank among the top ten at fullback given that there are 12 fullbacks in the entire NFL, with half of them in the AFC. Former Broncos fullback Andrew Beck ranks above Burton at No. 6 among FBs.

That’s the good news for Broncos players — Cushenberry, Simmons, Lutz, Mims and Burton rank among the top ten at their respective positions. The bad news is that cornerback Pat Surtain, guard Quinn Meinerz, wide receiver Courtland Sutton and left tackle Garett Bolles do NOT rank among the most popular fan choices at their respective positions for the Pro Bowl.

AFC cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey (Dolphins), Cam Taylor-Britt (Bengals), Rasul Douglas (Bills), L’Jarius Sneed (Chiefs) and Kenny Moore (Colts) all rank above Surtain. The fact that neither Surtain nor Sauce Gardner are among the top ten suggests that fans are voting based on interception stats instead of based on overall performance.

AFC guards Kevin Zeitler (Ravens), Joe Thuney (Chiefs), Joel Bitonio (Browns), Quenton Nelson (Colts), Trey Smith (Chiefs) and Robert Hunt (Dolphins) rank above Meinerz. AFC offensive tackle Terron Armstead (Dolphins), Laremy Tunsil (Texans) and Dion Dawkins (Bills) rank above Bolles.

AFC receivers Tyreek Hill (Dolphins), Keenan Allen (Chargers), Stefon Diggs (Bills), Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals) and Tank Dell (Texans) rank above Sutton. Dell is now sidelined by injury, so Sutton might move up in fan voting over the next few weeks.

Fan voting is not over yet — it runs through Christmas — so there’s still time to vote for your favorite players at NFL.com/ProBowl. It’s also worth noting that fan voting only accounts for one-third of the vote (the other two-thirds of the voting is done by coaches and players). So the Broncos players not doing well in fan voting (most notably Surtain) will likely make up ground when players and coaches vote later this month.

The 2024 Pro Bowl will be a flag football game in Orlando next February with Peyton Manning (AFC) and Eli Manning (NFC) serving as coaches.