The dreads are gone, casualty to a pair of offseason scissors.
Everything else, though, is the same.
As the sun set over Legend High’s turf at his youth camp on June 9, a barrel-chested Garett Bolles rattled off the name of his brethren on a rigid Broncos offensive front, the 33-year-old the elder statesman in a room of veterans. Luke Wattenberg in the middle at center, whip-smart. Ben Powers, Bolles’ left-side buddy at guard. Mike McGlinchey, locking down right tackle. And left guard Quinn Meinerz, who Bolles called the “bullet train” — a first-time All-Pro in 2024 in his fourth year in Denver.
Same front. Same roles. Same personalities. Same, except for The Belly’s blonde locks.
“He looks great,” Bolles cracked when asked about Meinerz’s haircut. “He probably lost a couple of pounds. Hopefully, he did.
“Nah. I’m just kidding.”
Quietly, beneath Bolles’ booming personality and Meinerz’s belly, this offensive line has pumped the lifeblood of a rebuild in Denver. It’s the “one group,” as head coach Sean Payton expounded at OTAs, that permeates a team’s building. Without a good offensive line, you can’t properly evaluate the talent of your defensive line, quarterback or backfield.
The Broncos, heading into Year 3 with Payton and Year 2 of Bo Nix, have a good offensive line. More than that, if you ask Bolles.
“Obviously,” Bolles said in June, “we’re one of the best O-lines in football. I mean, the stats don’t lie.”
And the sheer retention on the Broncos’ front, a group that allowed the third-fewest sacks of any team in the NFL in 2024, is as important as any injection of receiving or defensive talent this offseason. The starting unit is intact. Even deeper, every single member of the room who took a snap in 2024 is back in 2025, with youngsters like Nick Garguilo and Frank Crum marinating in the wings of a tight-knit unit.
“For an offensive line that can stay together and play together — which is a hard thing, because of multiple factors in the NFL to keep guys together — I think the more snaps, years, seasons you have as a cohesive unit, there’s a lot of feel on the O-line,” Crum told The Post at Bolles’ event June 9. “There’s a lot of — you gotta trust the guy across from you.
“And every man in that room is a guy you can trust.”
After providing steady depth in 2024, backup tackle Matt Peart is back on a two-year deal. Powers and McGlinchey have started in Denver for two years. Meinerz has been in town for four. Bolles, of course, has been a lifer since the doldrums of 2017. And Payton’s high on Wattenberg entering Year 2 at center, coming off a year in which he allowed just nine pressures in 864 snaps (per Pro Football Focus).
“I think you’re going to see an ascension,” Payton said at minicamp. “He’s exceptionally smart. I like his frame. He loves football. So I think that first year full-time starting is going to benefit him greatly.”
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And as the Broncos have added Dobbins and rookie RJ Harvey to the mix to address their greatest weakness from 2024 — a middle-of-the-road rushing attack — the offensive line’s cohesiveness in creating gaps could determine the roster’s ceiling come fall.
“I feel like it’s going to come up to us five up front,” Bolles said.
“Our demeanor and the way we run off the ball, the tenacity that we have and the chemistry that we have to get the ball running — and when we do that, we’re a dangerous team.”
Broncos announce training camp opener, confirm joint practices
As time ticks away before the Broncos suit up in pads, the NFL announced training camp start dates for all 32 teams Wednesday, with Broncos rookies scheduled to report July 16 and veterans on July 22.
Camp will look slightly different this year, amid ongoing construction on a $175 million training facility anticipated for completion sometime in 2026. Broncos owner Greg Penner said in March at the owners’ meetings that the organization intends to host between 800 to 900 fans at camp, likely in temporary bleachers.
The Broncos, too, will officially be headed to San Francisco for a joint practice Aug. 7 before a preseason game against the 49ers and host the Arizona Cardinals for another joint practice down in Dove Valley on Aug. 14.
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