Denver Broncos must act quickly if Garett Bolles misses some time
Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles went down with an ankle injury in Sunday's Week 1 loss, so Denver must act quickly if he misses some time. This was a bit of a hidden story that could end up being a huge loss for the Denver Broncos, especially with TJ Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers coming to town. TJ Watt is the best pass-rusher in the NFL and could be going up against Matt Peart, the Broncos swing tackle.
Bolles hurt is ankle, and ankle injuries can be tricky. If it's the dreaded high ankle sprain, the talented left tackle could be out for a month or more. If it's something else, perhaps Bolles may only miss a game or two. The obvious best-case scenario is that Bolles misses zero time, but that may not be likely given he'll be getting an MRI on the injured ankle.
Broncos are waiting on an MRI on LT Garett Bolles. The ultra durable LT went down Sunday with an ankle injury. Denver's OL was remarkably healthy last year and needs to be this season as well protecting a rookie QB.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) September 9, 2024
If the Broncos are going to be without Bolles for an extended period of time, they must turn to the remaining free agency market and bring in a left tackle. This is especially true given their situation with rookie QB Bo Nix. His blindside bring protected by a backup left tackle is just not what you want, and there are a few former starters out there.
Players like Charles Leno Jr, Donovan Smith, and David Bakhtiari are still on the free agency market. Bakhtiari is the best player here, but he played in just 13 games across the 2021-2023 seasons due to injury. Charles Leno Jr started 13 games for the Washington Commanders in 2023 and was cut by the team. Leno is the most consistent player of the three, as Donovan Smith spent the 2023 season with the Kansas City Chiefs and was just not great.
The Denver Broncos must look to the free agent market for a short-term solution at left tackle if Garett Bolles is missing extended time. There really is no benefit to trotting Matt Peart out there, as he's a career-backup tackle and is not going to all of a sudden develop into a starter at any point. If nothing else, the three players mentioned above have all been above-average starters at one point in their careers, and none of them are particularly old, either.
The Broncos offensive line stayed quite healthy in 2024, and I guess the insane injury luck could be catching up with them early on in 2024.