Denver Broncos tackle Garett Bolles just landed on a list he absolutely did not want to be on. He’s tied for the fifth spot among the NFL’s most-penalized players since 2021, a stat nobody in the Mile High City wants to see attached to their starting tackle. Bradley Locker of PFF dropped the ranking, which tracks total penalties, whether they were accepted or declined, over the last five seasons.
The Flag Count Is Real
Bolles has racked up a whopping 45 penalties in that timeframe. Think about that: forty-five flags. Locker points out that 33 of those are either false starts or holds, which are just killer momentum stoppers. On top of that, seven of his penalties were for illegal formation calls. It’s a tough look when a guy is getting dinged that often, especially for plays that directly impact down and distance.
2024 Was The Problem Season
Now, to be fair, Bolles has actually kept his penalty count to eight or fewer in four of the past five seasons. That’s a decent run, showing he can play cleaner. But his 2024 season? That’s what blew up his numbers. He was hit with 16 penalties that year alone, pushing him right up to the top of this unenviable list. Locker did offer some perspective, noting that for offensive linemen, not surrendering pressure is often seen as more critical than avoiding a whistle, which seems like “a near-inevitability” for guys playing a ton of snaps. Bolles is definitely a talented tackle and fits the Broncos’ scheme, but he’d be smart to try and “play nicer on the field” this season. That means reigning it in and cutting down on those flags, for his sake and for Denver’s.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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