The dreads are gone, casualty to a pair of offseason scissors.<\/p>\n
Everything else, though, is the same.<\/p>\n
As the sun set over Legend High\u2019s 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<\/a>. Luke Wattenberg in the middle at center, whip-smart. Ben Powers, Bolles\u2019 left-side buddy at guard. Mike McGlinchey, locking down right tackle. And left guard Quinn Meinerz, who Bolles called the \u201cbullet train\u201d \u2014 a first-time All-Pro in 2024 in his fourth year in Denver.<\/p>\n Same front. Same roles. Same personalities. Same, except for The Belly\u2019s<\/a> blonde locks.<\/p>\n \u201cHe looks great,\u201d Bolles cracked when asked about Meinerz\u2019s haircut. \u201cHe probably lost a couple of pounds. Hopefully, he did.<\/p>\n \u201cNah. I\u2019m just kidding.\u201d<\/p>\n Quietly, beneath Bolles\u2019 booming personality and Meinerz\u2019s belly, this offensive line has pumped the lifeblood of a rebuild in Denver. It\u2019s the \u201cone group,\u201d as head coach Sean Payton expounded at OTAs, that permeates a team\u2019s building. Without a good offensive line, you can\u2019t properly evaluate the talent of your defensive line, quarterback or backfield.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously,\u201d Bolles said in June, \u201cwe\u2019re one of the best O-lines in football. I mean, the stats don\u2019t lie.\u201d<\/p>\n And the sheer retention on the Broncos\u2019 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\u00a0single 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.<\/p>\n \u201cFor an offensive line that can stay together and play together \u2014 which is a hard thing, because of multiple factors in the NFL to keep guys together \u2014 I think the more snaps, years, seasons you have as a cohesive unit, there\u2019s a lot of feel on the O-line,\u201d Crum told The Post at Bolles\u2019 event June 9. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of \u2014 you gotta trust the guy across from you.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd every man in that room is a guy you can trust.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n \u201cI think you\u2019re going to see an ascension,\u201d Payton said at minicamp. \u201cHe\u2019s exceptionally smart. I like his frame. He loves football. So I think that first year full-time starting is going to benefit him greatly.\u201d<\/p>\n The cohesion has crafted confidence, both internally and externally. Second-year quarterback Bo Nix, who found his footing as a rookie behind a clean pocket, emphasized the importance of not only having play-calling retention but also offensive-line retention<\/a> to his development. New arrival JK Dobbins, the Broncos\u2019 potential RB1, called Denver\u2019s OL \u201camazing\u201d as a factor in his signing.<\/p>\n And as the Broncos have added Dobbins and rookie RJ Harvey to the mix to address their greatest weakness from 2024 \u2014 a middle-of-the-road rushing attack \u2014 the offensive line\u2019s cohesiveness in creating gaps could determine the roster\u2019s ceiling come fall.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like it\u2019s going to come up to us five up front,\u201d Bolles said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur 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 \u2014 and when we do that, we\u2019re a dangerous team.\u201d<\/p>\n Broncos announce training camp opener, confirm joint practices<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Camp will look slightly different this year, amid ongoing construction on a $175 million training facility anticipated for completion sometime in 2026<\/a>. Broncos owner Greg Penner said in March at the owners\u2019 meetings that the organization intends to host between 800 to 900 fans at camp, likely in temporary bleachers.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n