What comes next after the Broncos declined Garett Bolles' fifth-year option?

DENVER — The Broncos had until next Monday to decide on exercising Garett Bolles’ fifth-year option, but they opted not to wait, officially announcing Friday that they would decline it.

The option was expected to be worth about $11 million, which is less than the average annual value of contracts to 15 left tackles, according to OvertheCap.com.

The fifth-year option is guaranteed only for injury, so the Broncos would have had the option of rescinding it at any time before next March.

Bolles has been durable, playing in all 48 possible games during his first three seasons. But his progress was slowed by his proclivity for penalties — specifically holding. Last year, Bolles’ rate of one penalty every 59.5 offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, was 93rd of 97 offensive tackles to play at least 150 snaps.

Last year, he was whistled for a league-leading and career-high 13 holding penalties, six of which were accepted. His 32 total holding penalties over the last three seasons are the most int he NFL, and he had a particular penchant for holding calls at home, with 18 of his holding penalties coming at Mile High — including 15 of his 22 holds over the last two seasons.

The decision means that the Broncos have picked up the fifth-year option on just two of Elway’s initial six first-round picks.

SO WHAT’S NEXT IN 2020?

In the short term, Bolles faces what Elway has called an “open competition” with Elijah Wilkinson, who started 13 games at right tackle last year.

According to the numbers compiled by Pro Football Focus, Wilkinson allowed one pressure every 15.7 pass-protection snaps in 2019, placing him 58th among 97 offensive tackles with at least 150 snaps last year. Bolles, meanwhile, allowed one pressure every 19.6 pass-protection snaps, placing him 36th.

Both saw their pressure rate improve with Drew Lock at quarterback. Wilkinson allowed one pressure every 20 pass-protection snaps he played, placing him 49th of 87 offensive tackles who played at least 50 snaps in the final five weeks of the season. But Bolles allowed just one pressure every 46.8 snaps in those five games, placing him ninth.

Bolles would be an overwhelming favorite to win a head-to-head competition with Wilkinson. But if the Broncos wanted to bolster the room with a veteran, they could look to former Eagles tackle Jason Peters — who played offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur in 2015 when he held the same position with the Philadelphia Eagles — or 30-year-old ex-Jets offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum, who played two seasons in Pittsburgh under current Denver offensive-line coach Mike Munchak before moving on to the Jaguars and eventually the Jets.

Former Cincinnati Bengal Cordy Glenn is also on the market, but injuries have plagued him in recent years, limiting him to just 36 of a possible 64 games since 2016.

AND WHAT ABOUT 2021?

The 2021 NFL Draft class should include some first-round-caliber tackles, most notably Oregon’s Penei Sewell, Stanford’s Walker Little, Alabama’s Alex Leatherwood and Texas’ Samuel Cosmi.

A potential wrinkle in the draft process looms because of COVID-19 and its potential impact on the college-football season. If there is an indication that the 2020 college-football campaign will be altered, postponed — or worse — then some prospects could choose to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft, which is held in the second week of July.

Little, Leatherwood and Cosmi are all eligible to enter the supplemental draft. But Sewell, who graduated high school in 2018, is not, as the NFL requires eligible players to be three years removed from their high-school graduation.

The 2021 free-agent class could also present some options. Two-time Pro Bowler Alejandro Villanueva, who starred for Munchak in Pittsburgh, is slated to hit the market. He turns 32 in September, but is also in just his seventh NFL season, as he served in the U.S. Army following his college career at West Point, so he doesn’t have the same accumulated wear and tear as other playersof his age.

Other free agents who could be on the market include Green Bay’s David Bakhtiari, Detroit’s Taylor Decker, and Carolina’s Russell Okung — who was Bolles’ predecessor at left tackle — and Trent Williams, who was just traded to the San Francisco 49ers. Baltimore All-Pro Ronnie Stanley is scheduled to hit the market, but it would be a stunner if the Ravens did not sign him to a long-term deal or give him the franchise tag.

AND YES, BOLLES COULD BE BACK IN 2021 …

Denver’s decision does not close the door on Bolles being the Broncos’ left tackle in 2021. If he picks up where he left off in the five games he played with Lock, the Broncos would have the option of signing him to a new contract.

This has happened before. In 2018, the Kansas City Chiefs declined to exercise the fifth-year option on offensive lineman Cameron Erving, then turned around four months later and gave him a contract that kept him on the team through 2019, although they chose not to re-sign him when he hit free agency in 2020.

But the Broncos did not re-sign any of the previous players to whom they declined the fifth-year option: defensive lineman Sylvester Williams (2013 first-round pick) and outside linebacker Shane Ray (2015). Quarterback Paxton Lynch (2016) did not even get a fifth-year option, as he was waived by the Broncos and went unclaimed, thus ending his rookie contract.

So while the door is not closed on Bolles returning for 2021 and beyond, the trends are not in his favor.