Forgotten in the midst of the Kansas City Chiefs' 2026 offseason, which has seen the team overhaul parts of the defense, is a linebacking core that remains as it was minus the free agency loss of Leo Chenal. Veterans Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill remain the Chiefs starters in the middle of the field, while young up-and-comers such as Jeffrey Bassa and Cooper McDonald look to make a name for themselves in an increased role.
Steve Spagnuolo's unit as a whole struggled as the 2025 season went on and actually turned into one of the worst defenses in the league on third downs. Which, as you can imagine, is just about the worst thing any defensive unit can struggle with. Part of this, of course, was the lack of pass-rush consistency from the big guys up front, which general manager Brett Veach made sure to remedy by adding nose tackle Khyiris Tonga and rookies Peter Woods and R Mason Thomas at picks 29 and 40, respectively, in this year's NFL Draft.
However, the other major factor was Bolton and Tranquill, specifically, being quite frankly abysmal in coverage. While it's never been either player's strong suit, especially Bolton's, Spags really has no choice when you consider the lack of proven depth behind the two and the sizable financial investment the Chiefs have placed upon Nick Bolton to have to play nearly every snap. Heading into the 2026 season, it will be the first year Bolton's contract becomes a legitimate issue
Nick Bolton's large 2026 cap hit spells trouble for the Chiefs
Drafted in the second round in 2021 out of the University of Missouri, Nick Bolton was an immediate big-time contributor, combining for nearly 300 total tackles in his first two seasons to go along with two sacks and two interceptions. But despite an injured third pro campaign and an underwhelming 2024 comeback, Brett Veach decided to award Bolton with a three-year, $45 million contract.
While the market for inside linebackers can be tricky to delineate, Bolton's $15 AAV (Average Annual Value) was behind just three ILB's at the time, all of whom made first-team All-Pro in their careers: Fred Warner, Roquan Smith, and Zach Baun. What prompted the Chiefs to give Bolton, who has never made as much as a Pro Bowl, such a sizable deal when in free agency he certainly would have made a chunk less is a mystery. But so far, the gamble is not paying off.
Bolton did have one of the better statistical seasons of his career in 2025, totaling 154 total tackles, to go along with one each of a sack, interception, and forced fumble. But the on-field performance told a different story. Bolton, in pass coverage in 2025, gave up nearly nine yards per completion, four touchdowns, and a QB pass rating of 106.5, all numbers much too high for a guy who plays so close to the line of scrimmage. What's worse is that even after the receiver caught the ball, Bolton, usually a very sure tackler going downhill, couldn't keep up with offensive skill players in space and allowed an egregious 428 yards after the catch.
The easy fix to help improve the Chiefs' third-down defense would be to take Bolton off the field on obvious passing downs, but Spags refuses to do so, due to the trust he has in the 26-year-old and perhaps the fact that his contract demands Bolton be on the field. It only gets worse this season as Bolton's $19.25 million cap hit is the fourth largest amongst all Chiefs players this year and next. And while KC can cut him and save $15 million next offseason, they are stuck with it this year, and that's a bad spot to be for any franchise, no less one in the Chiefs attempting to reclaim the Lombardi trophy.
Add us as a preferred source on Google