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Is Nick Bolton about to become an even bigger star for Chiefs in 2024?

We'd love it if he did!

By Leigh Oleszczak

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs safety Mike Edwards (21) and linebacker Nick Bolton (32) tackle San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) during the third quarter of Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs safety Mike Edwards (21) and linebacker Nick Bolton (32) tackle San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) during the third quarter of Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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In the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected local star Nick Bolton out of Missouri. He immediately became a fan favorite for his hard-hitting tackling and his run-stopping ability. Chiefs fans know what Bolton is capable of and so does Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports, who listed Bolton as the Chiefs' biggest under-the-radar player for the 2024 season.

Dajani writes, "This would have been my answer for the Chiefs last year as well, but Nick Bolton missed more than half the 2023 season with a dislocated wrist. So, he will continue to fly under the radar for football fans outside of Kansas City, but I'm expecting a huge campaign with Bolton in a contract year."

As Dajani noted, Bolton missed more than half of the 2023 campaign so listing him as an under-the-radar player still makes sense considering he didn't play a full season. The former Missouri linebacker is entering the final year of his rookie contract so this will be an important season for him.

In 2021 and 2022, Bolton recorded over 100 tackles each, including a whopping 180 tackles during the 2022 campaign. The casual fan will remember Bolton for his efforts in Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles when he recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.

Even with Bolton only appearing in eight regular-season games last year, he still shined bright. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 69.2 with a run-defense grade of 76.7 and pass-rush grade of 68.5 so even though he was out for a chunk of the season, Bolton was still a very good player for Kansas City.

The hope is that he continues to ball out in 2024, even if that will make it tougher to keep him past this year. The Chiefs have already gotten plenty out of Bolton and if he can keep it up and put together another strong season, a three-peat is absolutely on the table.

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