Nick Bolton is an interesting name to keep an eye on.
DeMarvion Overshown dazzled during his second year, but unfortunately, he suffered his second ACL tear, putting his availability for next season in jeopardy. Damone Clark, if retained, still hasn’t taken the next step in his development, and veteran Eric Kendricks is set to hit free agency. This makes Marist Liufau the only option for the Cowboys at linebacker that they can truly rely on for next season.
The NFL draft is certainly a place where the Cowboys can add more talent at linebacker. However, there are some free agent options as well. ESPN recently wrote a piece about landing spots for players that are about to hit the market. He picked the Cowboys as the destination for Nick Bolton of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Soon-to-be free agent Eric Kendricks is 33 years old, so Dallas could use a significant, younger upgrade in the middle of its defense. They need a true 4-3 middle linebacker who can be a leader on and off the field. There’s no better candidate than two-time Super Bowl champion Bolton.
I don’t need to recite statistics here, although Bolton led the Chiefs by being involved in 13.3% of defensive plays this past season. Simply listen to what Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has said about Bolton. He told Sports Illustrated that Bolton was one of the most cerebral players he has coached and referred to him as the Patrick Mahomes of Kansas City’s defense.
Bolton played in 16 games as a rookie and logged 12 starts, and he took full advantage of every single one. He produced 112 tackles. His 2022 campaign was his best as he finished second in the NFL in solo tackles (108) and total tackles (180). In 2023, he suffered a wrist injury that required surgery and limited him to eight games. He bounced back nicely in 2024 with 106 tackles and a career-high three sacks.
When it comes to playing middle linebacker, Bolton can do it all. He can patrol sideline to sideline and be effective stopping the run. Also, Bolton is skilled in coverage. He’s a field general as the quarterback of the defense and that’s exactly what’s needed from a middle linebacker. Landing a player like Bolton, plus having Liufau and Overshown once he gets back healthy, will make the Cowboys linebacker room look strong and set them up nicely for the foreseeable future.
Bolton has a market value of $12.3 million. According to executive vice president Stephen Jones, the Cowboys will be selectively aggressive in free agency. Well, this would be one of the times when Dallas needs to put those words to action. Having a player of his caliber coupled with a nuclear weapon like All-Pro linebacker/edge Micah Parsons on the front seven can make things easier on the backend, and take the Cowboys defense to the next level.
