The Kansas City Chiefs linebackers have substantially improved their reputation over the past few seasons. They are a young group, led by Nick Bolton and Willie Gay Jr., and have begun to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with for opposing offenses.
Bolton, in particular, has quickly become a consistent defensive presence with his stellar play that some believed should have earned him a Pro Bowl selection in 2022. The former Missouri standout led the Chiefs in tackles last year and has preached the importance of the defense being respected around the league. Bolton revealed his desire for the defense to focus more on stopping opposing running games while speaking with the media after Tuesday’s practice.
“I think we can come in and get a lot out of it,” Bolton explained of Kansas City’s first preseason matchup against the New Orleans Saints. “Tackling, for one, stopping the run, [the] run game hasn’t really been a huge thing in this training camp, we’re more pass-oriented. So, getting an opportunity to see how we compare against the run, get [defensive] linemen inside blocks, linebackers stack and shed getting off of blocks and tackling on the perimeter. I feel like those are big things, especially Weeks 1 through 5. As a defense, the kind of things we want to be on top of to help us out.”
The Chiefs’ defense ranked tenth against the run in 2022 after beginning the first four weeks on top in that category. Bolton sees potential for more as the team continues to build until the start of the new year.