It is no secret that the Denver Broncos are in the midst of a full rebuild and many of the old guard seem to be irritated with Sean Payton and his ego. Whenever a new coach comes in, there seems to be a desire to bring in his “own guys” and thus, a fire sale begins. As the rest of the NFL descends on the cheap eats, the Rams need to grab LT Garett Bolles.
Bolles is a monster among men. The second-team All-Pro has anchored the Denver offensive line for seven years. The unsung hero of a terrible position group, Bolles has grown tired of the lack of success in Denver. Yet to play in a playoff game, let alone win one, Bolles reminds me of a legendary left tackle: Andrew Whitworth.
Big Whit played 11 years in Cincinnati before moving to LA in 2017. He also didn’t win a playoff game in his time with the Bengals. Yet he went on to win a Super Bowl. Bolles has that potential and no offense to Alaric Jackson or Joe Noteboom, but there are levels to this and theirs isn’t producing meaningful results.
Now, let’s talk turkey. Bolles is going to be a massive cap hit with around $20 million in 2024. With the lack of cap space, you will have to give him a small extension with an increased AAV to restructure an already restructured contract. It is a large commitment, but when you look at Trent Williams, who signed his big extension in 2021, his AAV is averaging nearly $21 million so an expected $17-18 million for Bolles is not that big of a deal. With an expected $5 million in cap savings if you cut Joe Noteboom in a pre-6/1 deal, it’s doable without having to break the bank.
From a schematic standpoint, you might as well extend Matthew Stafford for a few more years. Despite the blindside being on the left for Stafford, he loves throwing the ball left. Sean McVay goes trips left, he loves hitting Cooper Kupp over the top with him running left and he makes quicker decisions going left. Maybe it’s an angle thing, who knows? That’s why Rob Havenstein is paid so much money. However, what Garret Bolles does is give the Rams offense a tackle that is freakishly athletic and highly aggressive. Perfect for the McVay short passing game.
Let’s not mince words, McVay loves the wide receiver screen. He ran several with Puka Nacua, mostly because the other receivers’ blocking assignments can be disguised as short routes. The one blocker that has to haul his behind is the left tackle. Since he has to go into pass protection, he’s kickstepping into a full-out sprint to take out the linebacker squeezing down if Nacua cuts to the inside. Not many people can do that. Bolles can. When you look at Alaric Jackson’s 5.40 40 time and 4.92 20-yard shuttle compared to Bolles’ 4.95 and 4.55, the numbers speak for themselves.
Bolles is also a mover of men. His run-blocking ability is both underrated and underutilized. Best when setting the edge of stretch runs, Bolles might be the key to unlocking the poor Rams running game.
Bolles is going to be on the market and his value shouldn’t be high. He’s worth taking a gamble on because high-level tackles are a rarity in this league and it’s even more rare to grab a veteran that’s playing at a star level. The Rams got one and won a Super Bowl. It’s time to solidify the left side again.