After spending his rookie year playing on the outside, Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton is adjusting to life in the middle of the defense.
“I feel like I’m trending in the right direction,” Bolton said last week at OTAs “A long way to go. It’s a different position. Playing the Mike is a big difference compared to the outside. So getting the spacing on that, I’m getting better at it. But still have a long ways to go.”
After being drafted in the second round out of Missouri in 2021, Bolton played in 16 games last year and started 12 as a rookie for the Chiefs. He recorded a team-high 112 tackles, including 11 for loss, and returned a fumble 86 yards for a touchdown at Denver on Monday Night Football.
Now Bolton is sliding inside, taking the spot from Anthony Hitchens, who was released in February. With the move inside, Bolton said he’s going to have to work on his conditioning more.
“I got to get back in shape,” he said. “You’re going to be able to play more times at the Mike position than you are at the Will. So it’s a position where I can go sideline to sideline.”
Bolton is one of several players — along with outside linebacker Willie Gay and safety Justin Reid — the Chiefs will be counting on to fill the void left by Hitchens, Tyrann Mathieu, Melvin Ingram and Charvarius Ward.
“I feel it’s our time for the young guys,” Bolton said. “And not just me. Willie, Justin Reid, Juan (Thornhill), some guys on the D-line, it’s our time to step up and lead as a group. It’s not one person. No one can replace Hitch or Tyrann Mathieu, those guys are special guys, and that’s why they wore C’s, and it’s up for us to come in as a group and try to get guys in the best position to play.”
Bolton has gotten off to a solid start, drawing raves from coach Andy Reid during OTAs.
“I think the more understanding he has, and the more he does it, it becomes more friendly to his instincts,” Reid said. “Where you saw him in the run game and really be effective. Now he’s able to work on the pass game.
“That’s what these camps are. And so that’s where you see linebackers make a little jump from their first year into their second and third year. They get all these reps in the pass game and that’ll help him down the road rounding off his game. He’s attacking it like crazy right now. He’s put a lot of effort into it.”
Bolton said as a rookie the speed of the game was quite an adjustment for him but as the season went along the game started to slow down a bit. Now he’s hoping to build off that in his second year.
“It’s a complete 180,” Bolton said. “It’s a lot smoother. Everybody around here is instilling confidence in me and Willie. So everybody’s coming in trying to give me the most confidence possible to lead the team and go out there and play fast. I’m counting on those guys to count on me. So I’m just going to keep stacking days.”