Denver Broncos Expect Left Tackle Bolles Back for Week 1

The Denver Broncos are hoping to bounce back from a disastrous 2022 on offense, and that will start with improving their talent level in the trenches. Thankfully, they shared some good news earlier this week regarding their left tackle. Speaking at the NFL Combine, general manager George Paton announced he expects offensive lineman Garett Boles to be healthy for Week 1 after missing most of last season with a broken leg.

#Broncos GM George Paton: 'We Need to Upgrade' O-Line

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Paton communicated the Broncos' overall plan to improve their offensive line from last year, something Bolles' return would go a long way toward accomplishing. Bolles earned a very solid 72.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for his efforts over five games last season. He's been solid enough over his career that the Broncos signed him to a four-year, $64 million deal in 2020.

The Broncos ranked 32nd in scoring in 2022, so the reality is they need to improve everywhere on offense. They rushed for a respectable 1935 yards and 4.4 yards per attempt last year but allowed a league-high 63 sacks. Part of that is the reality of playing with quarterback Russell Wilson; the nine-time Pro Bowler's 10.2% sack rate in 2022 wasn't way out of line with his career average of 8.5%. Still, the Broncos are stuck with Wilson for at least 2023, so they must do what they can around him.