In a closely contested week 2 matchup, the Kansas City Chiefs managed to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars but not without suffering an injury setback ahead of their week 3 clash with the Chicago Bears.
The Chiefs will be without their starting middle linebacker, Nick Bolton, who has played a pivotal role as the team’s on-field play-caller. His absence from practice throughout the week is due to an ankle injury that briefly forced him out of their victory over the Jaguars.
Nevertheless, the Chiefs have a wealth of options at the linebacker position, such as Willie Gay Jr., Leo Chenal, Drue Tranquill, Jack Cochrane and Cam Jones. Bolton’s impact on the defense has been so significant that finding a direct replacement might be challenging.
Steve Spagnuolo Chooses Bolton’s Replacement
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo declared: “We’re very fortunate we’ve got Drue. He’s played linebacker before. He’s been in the system now a little bit. He’s got a couple of games under his belt. You guys would have noticed in both games that we played, there were certain series in the first half for him to go out and be the MIKE, and we gave Nick some reps off.”
Spagnuolo confirmed that Tranquill, who signed with Kansas City during the offseason after starting 16 games for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022, is in line to assume the role assigned to Bolton. Tranquill’s utilization in the first two games of the season has been strategic, designed to prepare him for a situation like this.
The coordinator expressed: “We wanted to do that because it was early in the season, number. In the second game, it was because we were in Florida, and we knew that it could get long, and we all wanted to be fresh at the end of the game. I think that will help Drue if he has to step in there and take over for Nick in this one.”
How Old Is Nick Bolton?
Nick Bolton is 23 years old.
