Nick Bolton dominated Super Bowl LVII. He’d know. He’s watched it 20 times since.
On a beautiful Tuesday morning at Chiefs training camp, Bolton has finished practice. We’re chatting about the night he became a champion. Against the Eagles in a 38–35 victory, Bolton was everywhere. He had a game-high nine tackles and, most importantly, a second-quarter touchdown on a scoop-and-score after stripping quarterback Jalen Hurts of the ball.
Bolton says he’s watched the game repeatedly, including his famous six points and his would-be second touchdown, which was called back on replay.
Then his mood shifts quickly.
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“That was last year,” Bolton says. “Onto the new chapter. We’re building something for this season. Nobody cares about last season anymore. It’s all about what you do this season.”
For the Chiefs, they’re hoping this season looks a lot like last, both in Bolton’s output and its ending.
As a rookie in 2021, he played outside linebacker in Kansas City’s 4–3 base. The following offseason, the Chiefs released veteran middle backer Anthony Hitchens, meaning Bolton was getting the green dot.
For the second-year linebacker, the move was jarring. Bolton was trying to become the defense’s quarterback while attempting to earn respect. In Kansas City’s front seven, the Missouri product was the eyes and brain for Chris Jones, Frank Clark and a cast that, up front, counted only edge rusher George Karlaftis as a rookie starter.
As a result, Bolton had to gain confidence. Once he did, he was nearly unstoppable, setting a club record with 180 total tackles. He points to Weeks 4 and 5 as a turning point, when he was able to shorten the verbiage while starting to think along with his teammates.
“That’s one of the biggest things, helping get guys aligned, communicate,” Bolton says of the position change. “Also, be able to take those couple of seconds to visualize for yourself and get aligned, get your own mental checklist knocked down. Again, it feels like I’m still evolving in that aspect of it. I feel leadership and playing my position, being the quarterback of the defense is always something you can improve on. Take it year by year, day by day and try to find little ways to get better.”
Bolton’s numbers show his progression once he felt comfortable running coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.
In Kansas City’s first five games, Bolton averaged 9.4 tackles per game. Over his final 12, that number improved to 11.1. And the 237-pounder missed only one snap over the Chiefs’ final 13 games, including the postseason.
“He’s a quiet guy,” coach Andy Reid said. “He’s not outspoken, flamboyant; he just goes and plays. He was the same way in college. He’s a phenomenal tackler, great feel for the game.”
For Bolton, the season brought out a physical and mental toughness, along with a trait that has helped define him in Kansas City's room.
“I like his leadership, obviously,” Reid said. “He’s got a good feel for what we’re doing. He’s a good football player, all the way around. … He does a nice job. Really, last year I thought he played at an All-Pro level. People know who he is now. He’s going to have to step up, obviously, but he’s always been willing to do that.”
When Bolton wasn’t rewatching the Super Bowl, he was working. He told me one of his biggest goals is being on the league’s top-ranked defense, something that hasn’t happened for him since high school, whether that be in the SEC or NFL. The 2021 second-round pick then pointed to red zone percentage, third downs and takeovers as areas to focus on, in which the Chiefs ranked 31st, 13th and tied for 20th respectively last season.
Despite totaling 180 combined tackles in 2022—ranking 16th since 1987, per Pro Football Reference—Bolton believes there’s plenty to strengthen in his game.
“Ultimately just trying to figure out ways how I can be better,” Bolton says. “I had 180 tackles but I left some out there on the table. I feel I could have been a little closer to some plays. Pass coverage, run game and blitzing are all things I could still improve on. Going into Year 3, I’m still young, I’m still learning, still trying to evolve and trying to make our defense better. Anyway I can possibly do that, I’m going to do it.”
One of the advantages Kansas City may have this year is continuity.
Looking at their projected starting defense, the only new faces are linebacker Drue Tranquill and edge rusher Charles Omenihu. This is in stark contrast to 2022, when the Chiefs trotted out rookies playing significant snaps, including corners Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams, safety Bryan Cook and Karlaftis.
“You’ve got guys hearing the same calls over and over again,” Bolton says. “Hearing that communication, you can see what they see, so down the line whenever you see the same picture again, you kind of understand what they’re going to do and the checks they’re making with it. Everyday we’re just building on it, step by step. We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re off to a [good] start.”
Come Sept. 7, the Chiefs will begin their title defense with the hyped-up Lions coming to Arrowhead Stadium. It’ll be the first of Kansas City’s seven nationally televised games, giving the team and its city a night to bask in the glory of a championship while potentially beginning the journey toward another.
For Bolton, it’s the only game that matters right now, with the one from six months ago safely committed to memory.
