The AFC rival Cincinnati Bengals have already been known to snag a free agent from the Kansas City Chiefs; in 2023, they made an offer to left lineman Orlando Brown Jr. worth over $64 million.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report advised Cincy to retry the strategy in 2025 on September 16.
On Sunday, September 15, “the Bengals got a close-up look at what Nick Bolton can accomplish,” Ballentine writes. “The linebacker and Logan Wilson together would be a logical fit and address a lot of the Bengals’ run-stopping problems.”
He went on, “The 6’2′′, 245-pound Wilson and the 5’11”, 237-pound thumper would make a great combination that can close holes downhill and use sideline-to-sideline speed to chase down plays as well. “The Bengals were a Super Bowl danger when they combined an explosive attack with a youthful, powerful defense,” the statement continues. To return to that level, they must make defense-related investments.
Cincinnati is 0-2 so far this season after missing the postseason in 2023. It goes without saying that their current performance is very different from the challenger position they attained in 2021–2022.
It is uncertain if Bolton will return to the Chiefs after his rookie deal ends.
Nick Bolton, a staff and fan favorite of the Chiefs, may become expendable in 2025 due to the depth of the team’s linebacker pool. Additionally, he has played a crucial role in Kansas City’s last two Super Bowl victories, playing defense as the “green dot.”
However, the Chiefs are unable to re-sign every player, and they have already decided to extend the contracts of tight end Noah Gray and center Creed Humphrey before negotiating a long-term agreement with Bolton. He or right guard Trey Smith would be the next pick if you go back to that 2021 draft class, but Kansas City may lose one of the two given that they are ranked 24th in terms of expected available cap space for the 2025 season.
In addition, Smith has the advantage over Bolton if they are facing off in a debate for a few reasons.
One, much like running backs, linebackers are no longer valued in the modern NFL. Both positions involve a significant amount of wear and tear and usually yield deep pools of candidates. These elements have pushed front offices to choose and sign rookie RBs and ILBs on a regular basis every spring.
This brings us to our second point. The Chiefs were able to move on from Willie Gay Jr. last March because they had added depth to their linebacker position in recent years. Bolton might come next.
Kansas City could promote a prospect like Jack Cochrane or Cam Jones into the third linebacker spot with third-year draft pick Leo Chenal and veteran Drue Tranquill rather than paying the former Missouri second round pick. This April, Tranquill inked a three-year contract extension, which is unfavorable for Bolton in the long run.
In addition to those four players, the Chiefs also have rookie undrafted Swayze Bozeman on the practice squad, learning the scheme, and
