The Denver Broncos’ offensive line is getting its flowers, and Garett Bolles is right at the center of it.
Bolles came in at No. 42 in the NFL’s annual Top 100 poll, according to Grant Gordon, the digital content editor at NFL.com who is compiling the list. For an offensive lineman, cracking the top half is no small thing. For Bolles, it’s the latest sign that his work has finally earned the kind of recognition that’s been building for a while.
He’s been one of the pillars of Denver’s front for eight seasons, but the broader league has only started to catch up in recent years. Bolles first showed up on the list at No. 82 in 2021, and he’s clearly climbed into a different tier since then.
That jump lines up with the season he just put together. Bolles was a finalist for the league’s inaugural Protector of the Year award, a distinction that fits neatly with a Broncos team that won the AFC West and reached the AFC Championship game.
The numbers back up the reputation. Pro Football Focus had Bolles with the fifth-best overall grade among qualified offensive tackles, and he didn’t allow a sack while giving up just six quarterback hits. His pass blocking grade was the best in the league among tackles.
The deeper metrics were even more impressive. Bolles posted a pressure rate of 5.9 percent, the lowest at his position and the second-lowest among tackles with at least 200 pass blocks since 2018. It was also the second straight year he led his position in pressure rate, after checking in at 4.5 percent in 2024.
Last season, Denver’s priority was clear: keep Bo Nix upright and avoid sacks and negative plays. Mission accomplished. This year, the Broncos are aiming for something different, wanting to run between the tackles and open up a more versatile offense.
That shift will come with J.K. Dobbins in the backfield, and he brings a different kind of question mark. He’s a slashing runner with an injury history, though he says he can stay healthy and deliver the kind of season Denver needs from him to push further.
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