Garrett Boles and 2 other trade targets for increasingly desperate Browns

With injuries piling up, the Cleveland Browns desperately need to address a few positions ahead of the 2023 NFL trade deadline
San Francisco 49ers v Denver Broncos
San Francisco 49ers v Denver Broncos / Jamie Schwaberow/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next

Garett Bolles, OT, Denver Broncos

One of the biggest surprises this season has been the lack of impact Sean Payton has had on the Denver Broncos. After trading two premium picks to New Orleans for the rights to sign him, Payton has his team off to a 1-5 start.

Their fifth loss was on Thursday Night Football to kick off Week 6 as they were beaten in every phase of the game by the Kansas City Chiefs. That loss should be enough for them to finally do what's been expected of them for the past couple of weeks, which is to punt on the season and start selling off players for draft capital.

Names such as Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy have been thrown around but the one Cleveland should be interested in is Garett Bolles, their starting left tackle.

Bolles, a former first-round pick out of Utah, is in his seventh season as a starter and has been a solid pass blocker throughout his career. He's also under contract through the 2024 season, so he wouldn't just be a one-year rental.

The one hold-up in this move for the Browns would be the presence of Jedrick Wills. Their current starting left tackle is also under contract through 2024 and with his struggles over the past few seasons, it would be hard to move him.

That means Cleveland would then be on the hook for two left tackles with a starter's salary (not to mention Jack Conklin at right tackle). Perhaps they could get creative as they did with Baker Mayfield in order to move Wills, but they would still wind up paying quite a bit since his salary in 2024 is fully guaranteed.

Having said that, the seat for Kevin Stefanski — and even Andrew Berry — could get very hot if they don't produce a winning season in 2023. That's why they should worry about adding talent first, then the money later.

More Cleveland Browns news and analysis

feed