Tag: left tackle

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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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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Broncos nominate Garett Bolles for Walter Payton Man of the Year award

Congrats to Broncos LT Garett Bolles for being nominated for the prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year Award!

The Denver Broncos named left tackle Garett Bolles the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee on Tuesday.

This is Bolles’ first nomination for the award, which is given annually to the player who displays excellence on and off the field. Bolles’ work with Colorado and Utah youth with learning disabilities and youth in Colorado detention centers among other community outreach highlights the leader he is on and off the field.

Bolles finds himself in great company, with several former Broncos teammates who have been recipients of the honor. In 1992, Denver Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway won the award; in 2005, fellow Hall of Famer Peyton Manning received the award as a member of the Indianapolis Colts, and current Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson won the award during his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks in 2020.

Each nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award gets to wear a helmet decal for the rest of the season in recognition of the honor. Those who win the award, like Wilson, get to wear a jersey patch with a silhouette of the award.

Last year, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott won the award.

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Garett Bolles blocking Myles Garrett is the best video you’ll watch today

This is probably the best block you’ll see in the NFL this season, and it came against one of the game’s best pass rushers!

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett was leading the NFL with 13 sacks going into last week’s game against the Denver Broncos.

Garrett had a slow day at the office against the Broncos, totaling no sacks and no quarterback hits during Denver’s 29-12 victory. Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles did an exceptional job going up against one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, and one of his blocks caught the attention of renowned offensive line coach Paul Alexander.

“This might be the best pass block finish I’ve ever seen,” Alexander captioned a video he posted on Twitter/X showing Bolles blocking Myles from one side of the field to the other on Sunday.

“He’s extremely athletic,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of Bolles on Monday. “Man, he played his butt off [Sunday]. [He] had a tough assignment. We knew that was going to be a challenge. He was going up against one of the better defensive players.

“To his credit, when we watched the tape, man, he battled. We did a handful of things over there to help slow down Myles. He’s experienced, he’s athletic. The chemistry of that [offensive line] room has really changed and it’s really been an asset for our club.”

That one block was arguably the highlight of the game for Bolles, and the left tackle received well-deserved praise on social media.

Broncos LT Garett Bolles cherishing being back on football field

“Just being back on the field [after] missing football for a whole year, you cherish these moments,” Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles said.

Just over a year ago, Denver Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles broke his leg and was placed on season-ending injured reserve five weeks into the 2023 NFL season.

Bolles returned from that injury this summer and he has quickly returned to his pre-injury form. After the Broncos upset the Kansas City Chiefs 24-9 in Week 8 and snapped a 16-game losing streak to KC, Bolles said he cherished being back on a football field.

“I’m just getting better and better,” Bolles said after Sunday’s win. “I’m getting more confident with my leg, my body, my left guard [Ben] Powers next to me, and you know having ‘Russ’ [Russell Wilson] behind me, and just being back on the field for missing football for a whole year. You cherish these moments, you know?

“You don’t get these types of moments all the time. You know, I’ve been in this organization [for a while]. I’ve sweated; I’ve bled. I love this organization more than anything. My family has grown up here. So for us to win a big game like that and knowing that there’s an opportunity to play in bigger games, you know, God is good.”

Sunday marked the first time that Bolles has beaten the Chiefs in his career, and it clearly meant a lot to him. Bolles and his teammates are now on a bye this week before returning in Week 10 to face the Buffalo Bills.

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Backup left tackle Landon Young (knee) returns to Saints practice

Landon Young returned to Saints practice on Monday, having sat out a few weeks resting a knee injury. He brings important depth at both tackle spots:

This is good to see. The New Orleans Saints welcomed third-year offensive tackle Landon Young back to practice on Monday; he had been out for several weeks resting a knee injury. He was a candidate to start the season on injured reserve but the team wanted to give him time to try out his knee before putting him on ice for four weeks. It seems like he’ll be able to dodge that.

Young has been an important depth player for the Saints at both tackle spots. He played exclusively on the left side in college at Kentucky before being picked in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft, and the team cross-trained him at right tackle last season to see if he could be a viable backup for Ryan Ramczyk.

And that’s likely his role moving into the fall. Young can (hypothetically) fill in at either tackle spot in relief of Ramczyk or Trevor Penning, though it remains to be seen whether he can hold up for an extended look in the starting lineup. He’s only started four games in his career: 2021’s road loss to the Philadelphia Eagles (in which he suffered a season-ending injury) and 2022 matchups with the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers at home, also playing the majority of snaps in last season’s rematch with Philly. Two of those games have been at left tackle and the other two on the right side.

The Saints must be feeling optimistic after his return to practice. They released another backup lineman from the practice squad in Mark Evans II, one of their highest-valued rookie free agents. That leaves them with Trevor Penning expected to start at left tackle against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday and Young as his backup, though Andrus Peat or James Hurst is an option depending on how heavily they want to shake up the line in the event of an injury. Veteran right tackle Storm Norton is also still on the roster as a backup for Ramczyk.

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Russell Wilson on Broncos LT Garett Bolles: ‘He’s looking great’

“Garett Bolles is one of the best tackles in the game,” Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson said.

After missing 12 games with a broken leg last season, Denver Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles made his return to the field in the team’s preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals two weeks ago.

Bolles played again last Saturday, playing 23 snaps against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2 of preseason. After shaking off some rust in Arizona, Bolles had a good performance in San Francisco.

“Garett Bolles is one of the best tackles in the game,” quarterback Russell Wilson said after the 49ers game. “He’s so athletic. Him having that severe injury last year and then to come back the first time stepping back on the field. It’s like taking that and understanding that this is a part of the process. And so he took that huge step.

“This week and over the past couple weeks in practice, he’s looking great. He’s that big left tackle over there that you trust and he can do a lot of things over there. He’s a great teammate. Garett’s a guy that will do anything for you. He’s a guy who battles, a guy who wants to win at the highest level. I’m really excited about the five guys we have up front.”

As Denver’s left tackle, Bolles is responsible for protecting Wilson’s blindside. He wasn’t able to do that for a majority of last season due to his injury, but Bolles will aim to keep Wilson upright in 2023.

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30 Most Important Bears of 2023: No. 3 Braxton Jones

Our No. 3 Most Important Bear of 2023 is Braxton Jones, who surprised everyone as a rookie but now needs to show he’s a franchise tackle.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the 2023 NFL season, which features plenty of new and returning faces within the organization. There are a number of players, coaches and front office members that are crucial to the team’s success this season.

Every day from now until the start of training camp, we’re counting down our 30 Most Important Bears for the 2023 season. We’ll recap their 2022 season, look ahead to 2023 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year.

At No. 3 is offensive tackle Braxton Jones, a pleasant surprise from 2022 who has big expectations going into this season.

Broncos roster series: No. 72, OL Garett Bolles

Entering his seventh season with the Broncos, Garett Bolles will look to bounce back after missing 12 games with a broken leg last year.

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Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at seventh-year left tackle Garett Bolles, No. 72.

Before the Broncos: Bolles (6-5, 300 pounds) went on an LDS Church mission after high school, delaying the start of his college career. He then started his college football career at Snow College, a junior college in Utah. After two years at the JUCO level, Bolles transferred to Utah in 2016 and earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors.

Broncos tenure: After starting 13 games with the Utes, Bolles was selected by Denver in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft. He struggled through his first three seasons as a pro, committing 32 penalties in his first 48 games. Bolles then seemingly had a breakthrough year in 2020, allowing no sacks and cutting his number of penalties down to four. He was named a second-team All-Pro that season.

Last year, Bolles broke his leg in Week 5, prematurely ending his 2022 season. Because he started college later than a typical football prospect, Bolles entered his first season as a 25-year-old tackle. He is now 31 entering his seventh year with the Broncos.

Chance to make the 53-man roster: Bolles is a lock to make the team and start at left tackle, health permitting.

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