Broncos' Acquisition of Gary Zimmerman in '93 Should Give Elway Confidence to Trade for OT Trent Williams Today

Garett Bolles has been on the sharp end of a fair amount of criticism for his lackluster play since the Denver Broncos drafted him in the first round back in 2017. Offensive line coach Mike Munchak appeared to have at least stabilized Bolles' performance down the stretch last season, but it wasn’t without his familiar struggles along the way.

Considering GM John Elway and the coaching staff are still undecided on whether to pick up Bolles' fifth-year option, fans wonder if the Broncos might be in the market for a quick upgrade at left tackle.

As the keys to the franchise get handed over to second-year quarterback Drew Lock, the importance of keeping him upright, while not setting the offense back due to costly penalties, is more crucial than ever before.

One big-name left tackle has recently become available for trade, so if the Broncos feel compelled to upgrade the position, now might be the time.

The Washington Redskins have had a tumultuous relationship with Trent Williams, despite the player having a lot of success with the team. The seven-time Pro Bowler has popped onto the trading block before, due to his medical wrangles with the Redskins. Williams recently asked the Redskins for permission to seek a trade and the team granted it.

Any hopes that the Redskins' new head coach Ron Rivera had harbored to try and convince the 10-year veteran to return to the team have evaporated recently, as both sides have now agreed that a change of scenery would be the best scenario for all concerned.

That means Williams will be available on the trading block. The question is, at what cost?

If Elway were interested in using a lower value draft pick to acquire Williams, it's unlikely to move the needle because the player has already received interest from several tackle-needy NFL teams, according to Connor Hughes and Ben Standig of the Athletic.

Among them are reportedly the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans, all of whom are in play to retool their offensive lines. Williams is in the final year of a five-year contract he signed with Washington back in 2015 that stands to pay him $12.5 million in base salary before he becomes a free agent in 2021.

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If the Broncos were to have concrete interest in finalizing a trade, structuring a new contract would be prudent, otherwise, Denver could risk giving up a valuable draft pick in 2020 for what could amount to being just a one-year rental for Williams. It's a safe bet to assume Williams is seeking a new deal with whichever team acquires him anyway.

According to ESPN's Rich Cimini, Williams could be seeking upwards of $20M per year in a new deal. If true, that could be a real fly in the ointment for Denver.

Elway will have to judge the potential for contract re-negotiations before he makes the decision over the feasibility of orchestrating another big trade, all of which comes hot on the heels of the Broncos' acquisition of CB A.J. Bouye from Jacksonville. The Broncos' front office czar would establish some serious momentum, and an aggressive offseason theme, if he were to also wrangle Williams away from the Redskins.

However, at 31 years old and coming off a full missed season, acquiring Williams wouldn't come completely free of potential drawbacks. His medical checks would have to be conditional to any such trade.

Elway need only cast his mind back to the trade that brought Hall-of-Fame tackle Gary Zimmerman to Denver in the 1990s to provide further evidence of the benefit of such an addition. The deal with Minnesota provided Elway the quarterback with his own elite blindside bodyguard and helped lay a foundation for future Super Bowl success.

At the time of the trade, Zimmerman was 32-going-on-33, which is older than Williams is now. However, Zimmerman would go on to provide the Broncos with five quality seasons, three of which were highlighted by a Pro Bowl berth, before hanging up his cleats following Super Bowl XXXII.

For a vast majority of fans, adding arguably the best left tackle in football to a Broncos' O-line that has struggled massively in recent years would be a massive boost, even if it meant giving up (potentially) a second-round pick. If Williams' recent workout videos are any indication, it looks as if the 320-pound athlete is back to full physical fitness and has the zest to return to the field.

After many years of issues in perimeter pass protection, Williams would represent a quick fix for Elway and it would give Munchak an elite blocker to work with.

Even faced with competition for Williams' services, Elway could build further stream on his rebuild of the Broncos by adding a stud left tackle to the roster. With so many doubts remaining over the development and performances of incumbent starter Bolles, it might end up being a deal Elway could regret not pulling the trigger on, especially if Williams excels playing somewhere else next season.

Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.

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