The Denver Broncos could look to trade veteran offensive tackle Garett Bolles this offseason. There had been rumours about certain players getting moved to collect draft picks and Bolles could be one of those players.
Bolles is 30 years old despite entering the league in 2017. Unfortunately, that’s a negative for him and his value. That could be a reason why the Broncos would have trouble getting exactly what they want for him.
There’s no doubt that Bolles has had his struggles in the early parts of his career. Sadly, the NFL world has gone to lengths such as calling him “Garett Holds” instead of Garett Bolles. That’d be due to his consistent holding penalties over the first three or so years of his career. Overall, Bolles has had 65 penalties called on him since entering the NFL as a first-round pick back in 2017. His lowest penalty count so far has been in 2020 when he had just seven on 1,015 total snaps.
Last season, Bolles played in just eight games before suffering a broken leg. That injury, which during the new schedule system cost him nine games, is a concern especially at his age.
What could the Broncos get for Bolles in a trade? Well, it does depend on several things. Obviously, if a team is looking to trade for Bolles, their intent is for him to be their starter. There’s no instance in which Bolles would go to a team looking for him to be a depth piece. That instantly puts his price range up higher.
Could the Broncos end up getting a first-round pick for Bolles? No, that won’t be happening for the reasons I listed above. A second? Maybe, but if I had to put money on it I would say they would be able to secure a third round pick as well as one late-round pick. I think that if a team is looking to trade for him, they probably have a connection from his past.
If former Broncos offensive line coach Mike Munchak decides to join a team for the 2023 season, we could see the team shipping Bolles off to whichever team that is, granted it’s not a division opponent or a team who already has a starting left tackle that they’re comfortable with. If Munchak goes to a team that does not fit those two criteria, we should look at those teams to inquire about Bolles.
I also would not rule out Broncos general manager George Paton being able to get a player at a position of need in the trade. While we would be surrendering a player at the weakest unit on the team, we would be upgrading at another spot on the team—pass rusher maybe?
If the Denver Broncos do move on from Bolles, I think it would be a bit of a disaster unless they fully revamp the entire offensive line. It was terrible last season and Bolles leaving would just make it worse—at least temporarily. In 2020, Bolles earned an extension.