Broncos offensive line talent on full display for Protector of the Year award

When Sean Payton arrived in Denver, some of the first things he did was beef up the offensive line in free agency, signing both Ben Powers and Mike McGlinchey. The team already had Garett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz entrenched as starters.

And when Lloyd Cushenberry left in free agency, the team turned to Luke Wattenberg as the starting center. The combination of Bolles, Powers, Wattenberg, Meinerz, and McGlinchey has been the team's opening day lineup for two years now, and all but Wattenberg have been in the starting lineup since 2023.

It's one of the best overall position groups of any team in the NFL, and with the league rolling out their first Protector of the Year award, given to the best offensive lineman, you can bet that the Broncos have some representation there.

Garett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz are two of six finalists for the Protector of the Year

This is the first year the NFL will give this award out, as offensive linemen were never really in the running for any pre-existing award like MVP or Offensive Player of the Year. This award now gives some much-needed recognition for OL play, and the Broncos have two finaists in Garett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz:

In his age-33 season, Garett Bolles had the best year of his career, finishing with a Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro nod. He played in all 17 games for the third year in a row and genuinely gets better with age. According to PFF, Bolles was the highest-graded pass-blocking tackle and finished with an 89.3 overall grade, which is fifth in their system.

Most notably, Bolles didn't allow a single sack this year, which should definitely give him a great chance at this award. Bolles was, for the most part, a liability during his first three years in the NFL, but ever since that breakout season in 2020, he's been fantastic and is approaching all-time Broncos' greatness.

Quinn Meinerz is now a two-time first-team All-Pro and a one-time Pro Bowler. He's started every game the past three seasons and is simply the best guard in the NFL. He might not have the name recognition that Joe Thuney does, for example, as Thuney has been playing at a high level for a decade at this point.

However, Meinerz being named to the All-Pro team two years in a row is nothing to scoff at. Both Bolles and Meinerz have legitimate arguments to win the inagural Protector of the Year award. The Broncos offensive line is truly in great hands.