One thing that can make Garett Bolles a breakout sophomore

How can Denver Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles take the next step and become a breakout sophomore player? We take a look at one thing he needs to do…

The Denver Broncos had high expectations for rookie left tackle Garett Bolles in 2017, and rightly so.

Bolles was the team’s first-round draft choice out of Utah and was the top offensive tackle off the board.

As was expected, Bolles’ rookie season was filled with ups and downs. It was something of a miracle he ended up playing all 16 games after suffering a bad ankle sprain against the Buffalo Bills early in the season, but he fought through the pain and didn’t miss a start.

Bolles ended up finishing among the league leaders in penalties at the tackle position and that also was not entirely surprising given the way he played in his final year at Utah.

Bolles’ aggressive style of play definitely translated well in the running game, as he finished among the best players at his position in the NFL in run blocking efficiency, but Bolles’ pass protection wasn’t where it needed to be.

Not to worry, as players do get better with time. I took a few things away from a recent study of Bolles against the Indianapolis Colts in 2017, but one thing, in particular, stood out.

Bolles needs to add strength, and hopefully, he’s already made a lot of progress in that area as the Broncos kick off OTAs.

Play One

Bolles does a great job on this running play of sealing the defensive end shaded over his left shoulder. Bolles gets his own shoulders turned and effectively seals off a running lane for Devontae Booker, who takes advantage and gets a big chunk of yardage.

If Bolles is able to get the same type of leverage with more strength, I think he eliminates that defensive end completely from the play.

Play Two

One thing Bolles struggled with this past season that led to a number of his penalties and gaffes in pass protection was guessing. On this particular play, he does a good job of mirroring, which he did very well in college.

The edge rusher tries to bull rush him, but Bolles catches him and gets his hands inside, holding his ground.

If I’m nit-picking, Bolles seems to catch the edge rusher and get punched backward a bit. He obviously wins this rep in a big way, but there was an opportunity for Bolles to shut this play down immediately rather than have to catch, adjust, and then finish.

Again, I’m nit-picking, but improved strength overall would have helped Bolles greatly on this rep.

Play Three

This is another play I marked for Bolles, as it ended up being the final play of Trevor Siemian’s career with the Denver Broncos.

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Bolles is dealing with a pure speed rush here, and his man puts Siemian in the dirt. But is this sack on Bolles?

Not so fast.

Donald Stephenson gets toasted on an inside counter move by DL92 on the Colts. That inside pressure forces Siemian to retreat instead of step up in the pocket like he should, and as a result, no. 52 gets a really hard hit on the QB.

Bolles actually does a good job here of creating a very large arc to the QB, but Siemian’s retreat forces the play into an area it shouldn’t have gone.

Should Bolles have been able to plant this smaller linebacker in the dirt when he initially got hands on? Possibly. Again, with improved strength, he may have been able to put him even further off course than he did, and maybe the QB doesn’t take this hit.

When you look at Bolles’ season overall, the need for more strength and better leverage, in general, is apparent. At 6-foot-5, under 300 pounds, Bolles certainly has the foot quickness to match speed. He has a great combination of raw power and toughness but channeling that into overwhelming power is the key.

If Bolles gets stronger — upper body, core, and lower body — he’s going to be a force in year two.