To say the Denver Broncos are a bit thin at the left guard spot is more than a bit of an understatement. The original starting guard, Ben Powers, is likely gone for the season after tearing his bicep, and last week backup guard Matt Peart joined him on the injured list. 

It’s not what the Broncos were looking for, obviously, and the next man up at left guard is Alex Palczewski. Left tackle Garett Bolles is the lineman tasked with protecting the blind side of quarterback Bo Nix while breaking in the new lineman, and he didn’t soft pedal the situation. 

But Bolles also thinks Palczewski will step up. 

“Having two guys go down that quick, within two games, is a tough situation. But Palcho is ready for the challenge,” Bolles said in a notebook item from Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Gazette. “I’m ready to be there for him and protect him as much as I can. Make sure that he feels comfortable. This ain’t my first rodeo playing with different guards. I’ve done it for a long time here.”

Palczewski isn’t new, either. He came to the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois in 2023, and he served as a backup on the right side of the offensive line. But Palczewski also served as the third tight end in Denver’s jumbo package, and he started three games last year when tackle Mike McGlinchey was injured. 

“Our o-line is deep. We have a lot of depth that can plug and play in all different positions,” Bolles said. “Obviously, Ben is my guy. I’ve played a lot of games with him. I hope he has a speedy recovery. … I hope we can get him back as soon as possible. Obviously, it was a very unfortunate situation for us (with) Matt going down.”

Palczewski will be thrown into the breach in a tough spot. The New York Giants may be struggling, but they’re loaded with tough pass rushers, including nose tackle Dexter Carter II and the Giants number one draft pick, linebacker Abdul Carter. Palczewski will have his hands full, and he’ll need all the help he can get from Bolles.

If Palczewski does struggle, the next man up after him would be reserve lineman Calvin Throckmorton, who’s basically on the 53-man roster as insurance, with second-year lineman Frank Crum projected to be the swing tackle. Given the changes being caused by these injuries, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the Broncos sniffing around the guard market as the trade deadline approaches, if only to add another depth piece.