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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
The Kansas City Chiefs have had various injury issues and key absences all season long, so when irreplaceable linebacker Nick Bolton pops up on the Week 15 injury report with news of an “illness,” it’s a slight cause for concern with how the year has gone.
Bolton did not practice on December 11 after logging a full practice the day before. Now, this could very well be nothing and serve as the equivalent of a veteran rest day, or it could be something more.
The Chiefs traded ultra-reliable left guard Joe Thuney last offseason, in part, because they wanted to make sure they retained Bolton. And they did, signing the 25-year-old to a new $45 million deal.
Although Bolton tends to be less vocal in the public eye, he’s one of the Chiefs’ more integral team leaders on the field, serving as the “quarterback” of the KC defense.
Without him, coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s system may struggle with cohesiveness, and that would not be ideal heading into a win-or-go-home matchup against the division rival Los Angeles Chargers.
For now, the hope is that Bolton retakes the practice field with a clean bill of health on December 12.
Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor’s Week 15 Status Is Trending Downward After Latest Injury News
Along with Bolton, right tackle Jawaan Taylor and backup offensive tackle Wanya Morris both missed practice for the second straight day. Morris is expected to be ruled out for Week 15, but the Chiefs’ starting RT appears to be more of a game-time decision.
Kansas City is fully aware that they have to leave it all out on the field against the Chargers, so they may push a few injury recoveries that aren’t 100%, and Taylor seems like one of those cases.
It’d be nice if Taylor could at least log some sort of limited practice on December 12, but until he’s officially ruled out, one can’t say for certain if the important Chiefs blocker will give it a go.
On the bright side, right guard Trey Smith and cornerback Trent McDuffie were practicing for the second straight day. Smith logged a full practice on December 10, while McDuffie was limited.
Veteran wide receiver Hollywood Brown also returned to practice on December 11 after a non-injury-related “did not participate” the day before.
Chiefs Would Likely Shift Drue Tranquill Into MLB Role If Nick Bolton Can’t Go in Week 15
GettyKansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton missed practice with an illness.
It’s way too early to think that Bolton could miss Week 15, but in the unexpected event that he did, veteran Drue Tranquill would likely slide over to the MIKE-backer role as we’ve seen him do in the past.
Having Tranquill on the roster is important for many reasons, but giving KC quality Bolton insurance may be the most underrated reason of the bunch.
Not every linebacker can just assume the all-encompassing job that is posted smack dab in the heart of a 4-3 defense. It takes communication, football intelligence, awareness, athleticism, talent, and more.
Fortunately, the Chiefs do have all that in Tranquill, although he is still a downgrade on Bolton. The issue is that if Tranquill covers for Bolton, then you also have someone else covering for Tranquill (13 starts in 2025), and so on.
And the more players switch and swap roles, the more you tend to see breakdowns in communication. Needless to say, the Chiefs will hope Bolton is good to go after a nice day of rest.
Michael Obermuller covers the NFL for Heavy Sports, where he began writing in 2021. His areas of focus include the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers, with expert knowledge on each based on years of coverage. Michael is an NYC area native and Quinnipiac graduate. More about Michael Obermuller
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