Garett Bolles - Russell Wilson critics to 'eat crow' in 2023 - ESPN

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles takes protecting quarterback Russell Wilson's blind side seriously — even in June.

Bolles said after Thursday's OTA practice that critics of Wilson's 2022 season and those who believe Wilson won't recapture his past level of play are going to «eat crow'' after the coming season.

»He's a great dude, he's the same guy every single day, he works his butt off,'' Bolles said. «And I'm ready for that stuff to go away and when it goes, everyone's going to eat crow.''

The Broncos traded five draft picks, including two first- and two second rounders, as well as three players to the Seattle Seahawks last March to acquire Wilson. The team also signed Wilson to a $245 million contract extension just before the season began.

But it was mostly downhill from there as the Broncos finished last in the league in scoring (16.9 points per game), head coach Nathaniel Hackett was fired with two games left in the season and Wilson finished with a career-low 16 touchdown passes to go with a career-most 55 sacks.

Along the way, as the Broncos' losses mounted, Wilson took plenty of criticism on a variety of fronts, everything from saying he did „high knees'' on the flight to London, to his office in the Broncos' complex to how many teammates attended his birthday party. All combined with consistent sluggishness in the team's mismatched, underperforming offense.

Wilson said early in these OTAs his goal was to have “the best offseason of my life'' as he showed up much lighter and leaner than last season. Coach Sean Payton, hired in February, has praised Wilson's work in the offseason so far.

»I think he's phenomenal,'' Bolles said Thursday. "… We knew who he was as a person, we know who