Chiefs’ Nick Bolton feels ‘very comfortable’ after full offseason focused on football
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton had himself a rookie campaign in 2021.
The 6-foot, 232-pound Bolton totaled a team-high 112 tackles, including 11 for a loss, and three quarterback hits in 12 starts last season.
Making those prolific numbers even more impressive? He did it without the benefit of a full offseason because the first half of 2021 was spent training on workout drills, such as the 40-yard dash, cone drills and bench press, for the NFL Scouting Combine and the NFL Draft.
This year, Bolton had a full offseason to focus on football activities specific to the Chiefs’ defense and his new role as the green-dot linebacker.
Look out, NFL offenses, because the second-year linebacker believes the opportunity to concentrate on his craft over the past six months will only make him better.
“It’s been huge getting the opportunity to actually focus on football,” Bolton said Monday. “I’m actually doing things I feel like will help me on the football field and make our team better.
“So, having a whole (offseason) since we got done with the season knowing what I wasn’t as good at, I’m kind of getting a little bit better in those aspects and affecting my plays, as well. It’s going to help our defense and team out, so it’s more beneficial to me to be more flexible, trying to work on more specific drill oriented and I’m working on things more specific to our scheme rather than doing drills. I feel like it was beneficial for me.”
While Bolton is geared up for 2022, the Chiefs defense will experience transition this upcoming season.
Linebacker Anthony Hitchens and safety Tyrann Mathieu, two team leaders, are gone, and the Chiefs brought in new faces through free agency and the NFL draft. But there is a sense of stability at the linebacker position with Bolton and Willie Gay Jr., and Bolton sees good things for the defense based on what he saw during the Chiefs’ offseason workout program.
“Going off what I saw in OTAs (organized team activities), mandatory minicamp and things like that, I know we’re a young, fast defense,” Bolton said. “That’s what we’re going to pride ourselves on: being young, fast and physical.”
The linebacker’s description for what he forecasts for the Chiefs defense is an ideal calling card for his thumping style of play.
The tackling machine garnered the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month award for October 2021 after he averaged 8.6 tackles per game during the month, and he’s primed for a more visible role as the leader in the middle of the defense.
And there won’t be pressure on the 22-year-old Bolton as he and veteran teammates report for training camp.
“I feel a thousand times better going into this training camp,” he said. “I got a whole OTAs, a second OTA, underneath my belt. … I’m excited what we got going forward. I feel very comfortable.”
PARTICIPATION REPORT
The Chiefs went through a light Monday morning indoor practice with 29 players, including a newcomer in offensive lineman Evin Ksiezarcyk, on the practice field. The on-field session lasted approximately 90 minutes.
Quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Chad Henne, and tight end Jody Fortson were not present on the practice field, but Chiefs had coach Andy Reid typically gives his veteran players the last day of rookie practice off.
With the rest of the Chiefs veterans reporting throughout Monday, Mahomes will lead the first full team practice Wednesday.
OBSERVATIONS
With no fans present, the Chiefs’ media rules mirror those in place during OTAs: no reporting on personnel groupings (first- or second- or third-team units), specific formations/alignments and trick or situational plays.
Allowed, however, are general observations about head-turning and notable plays, such as:
- With Mahomes and Henne not present, backup quarterbacks Shane Buechele and Dustin Crum split repetitions.
- Backup tight end Mark Vital hauled in a nice deep pass down the seam in 7-of-7 drills. The pass was slightly overthrown, but the 6-foot-5 Vital reached out over the defender at the last moment to secure the football.
- Rookie wide receiver Skyy Moore had a busy morning catching passes all over the field during 7-on-7 drills. He made a nice grab near the left sideline, tapping his feet inbounds before his momentum carried him out of bounds.
This story was originally published July 25, 2022 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Chiefs’ Nick Bolton feels ‘very comfortable’ after full offseason focused on football."
