Why Nick Bolton Believes Chiefs Can Become NFL’s Top Defense

After Friday morning’s practice, Nick Bolton’s response was monotone. With a royal flush in his hand and an all-business response, he boldly declared that the Chiefs’ defense wants to take all the NFL’s chips.

“We had a pretty good defense last year in terms of efficiency,” the linebacker said, responding to a question on the team’s ambitions this year. “We also want to be a top defense in this league. I think we have the personnel, the players and the coaches to do so.”

To do so, Bolton said the Chiefs need to minimize points, produce more takeaways and create more negative-yardage plays – but they’ll need dramatic improvement in two of those categories. In 2024, they tied for 14th with 20 takeaways, and tied for 25th with 39 opponent plays of negative yardage (the 49ers’ defense led the league with 68). However, the Chiefs did rank fourth in scoring defense (19.2 points allowed per game).

“It’s about executing week to week,” Bolton said, “giving us an opportunity to win football games, to help our team win and, ultimately, we'll get back to the end game. But I feel like we could be the No. 1 defense in this league and that's my motivation as we keep going in training camp.”

It’s not blind ambition, though. On two occasions since the Chiefs selected Bolton in the second round of the 2021 draft, Kansas City has finished in the NFL’s top eight in scoring defense. The Chiefs ranked second as recently as 2023 (17.3 points allowed per game) and eighth in 2021 (21.4). Also in 2021, the Chiefs tied for fifth with 29 takeaways.

Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, one of the NFL’s most respected defensive minds, returns nine of 11 defensive starters from a team that won 17 games but got blown out in Super Bowl LIX, 40-22, in a loss to the Eagles.

Defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, who signed a three-year, $45-million contract with Carolina, left in free agency. Kansas City also made the decision to invest in other players and allow safety Justin Reid to sign with New Orleans (three years, $31.5 million). Bolton, however, was one of the first veteran free agents Kansas City re-signed, returning the linebacker on a three-year, $45-million deal.

According to many, Kansas City’s defense features the NFL’s best defensive tackle (Chris Jones), the league’s most underrated defensive end (George Karlaftis) and the best cornerback in the game (Trent McDuffie). And as Spagnuolo said this week, Bolton in the middle is the Patrick Mahomes of his defense. The linebacker appreciates that praise.

“Obviously, that makes you feel good,” Bolton said. “We've been growing and learning over the last four years, each other, and kind of figuring out what things we do well and what our personnel allows us to do. Kind of figuring out the best way to make our 11 play fastest.

“And it’s just super cool that I have a coach, a Hall of Fame coach, that believes in me, helps uplift me when I got to be my best self and all of my teammates. So, we're just going to keep building. Again, Spags is that type of guy, super loving, big-hearted coach, and he puts a lot of confidence in his guys week-in and week-out. So, he kind of expects me to do the same thing and he's just a father figure for everybody in the locker room for us.”

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