As the 2026 season grows closer, ESPN has started releasing its annual Top 10 rankings for each NFL position. And on their Offensive Tackles list, the Denver Broncos were represented in the Top 10 by left tackle Garett Bolles.

NFL analyst Jeremy Fowler from ESPN noted that Garett Bolles' performances in the 2025 NFL season earned him his first Top 10 appearance on ESPN's Top 10 NFL OTs list for the 2026 season after his first All-Pro selection.

"Pass protection, he's one of the most consistent," an NFL coordinator said as per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "He can handle his own without help. He was a big part of the Broncos' success on offense last year."

This consistency is what earned Bolles his first All-Pro nod. Garett Bolles gave up just five sacks across 630 pass-blocking reps for the Broncos. On top of that, he locked down a 94% pass block win rate, ranking ninth in the NFL according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"Left tackle Garett Bolles played a key role, leading all left tackles in pressure rate allowed (2.9%)," SharpFootballAnalysis.com concluded as they ranked the Broncos' offensive line as the best in the NFL.

They noted it was their only unanimous ranking among 32 NFL teams. At 34, Bolles has earned his first All-Pro nod after nine seasons of steady improvement.

In his nine seasons with the Broncos, Denver's longest-tenured player has never taken less than 96% of the team's offensive snaps. That includes taking 100% of the offensive snaps in three seasons and 99% in three seasons.

2025 was arguably his best season of the last three with HC Sean Payton, according to Jeremy Fowler.

The list was topped by Detroit Lions OT Penei Sewell, with San Francisco 49ers' Trent Williams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tristan Wirfs rounding out the top three.

While Garett Bolles ranked 10th, he managed to lock in a vote as high as No. 2 overall in the entire league. However, not everyone evaluating the league's top tackles viewed Bolles' season the same way.

The run-block dilemma and the rankings double standard

While Garett Bolles put up great pass-blocking numbers, he still got criticism from voters.

"Some voters say he doesn’t belong in the top 10 because he’s limited compared with other high-end talents on this list," Jeremy Fowler noted. "And his run-game impact needs some work (77.7% run block win rate)."

This is where a bizarre double standard shows up when you compare him to New York Giants tackle Andrew Thomas, who ranked eighth, per Lou Scataglia of Predominantly Orange.

Thomas was praised by voters for his 77.7% run block win rate. The same run block rate for which Bolles was being criticized and labelled as "needing some work".

Lou further argued that starting all 17 games and earning Pro Bowl as well as First-Team All-Pro honours should warrant a ranking higher than 10th.

While Bolles' No. 10 ranking sparked debate, his first All-Pro selection and recognition from league evaluators suggest he has firmly established himself among the NFL's elite offensive tackles entering the 2026 season.

Can Garett Bolles prove his critics wrong as he heads into his 10th NFL season? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Nisarga Aseem Barkule

Edited by

Rudra Dubey