Nick Bolton Wrist Injury: News From Insider on KC Chiefs’ Starting Linebacker

Additional context for the injury to Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton is rolling out in the aftermath of the team's Sunday win against the Chargers.

The Kansas City Chiefs' defense stepped up in the second half of Sunday's win against the Los Angeles Chargers, but a key piece of the unit also got knocked out of the game. Linebacker Nick Bolton suffered a left wrist injury in the fourth quarter of Week 7, sitting out the remainder of the contest.

On Sunday evening, head coach Andy Reid revealed that Bolton's early diagnosis was a dislocated wrist. At the time, he didn't have much more information beyond that. Late on Monday morning, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network confirmed the nature of the injury and alluded to the evaluation process being an ongoing one. The Chiefs' third-year linebacker was set to receive an MRI, as well as learn whether surgery would be necessary. Right after Reid spoke to the media on Monday afternoon, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported the specifics. Bolton is undergoing surgery and will miss quite a bit of time:

#Chiefs LB Nick Bolton will need surgery on his dislocated wrist and is expected to miss roughly two months, per source. A tough loss for the Kansas City D. pic.twitter.com/3OAvsbIxZw

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 23, 2023

#Chiefs LB Nick Bolton will need surgery on his dislocated wrist and is expected to miss roughly two months, per source. A tough loss for the Kansas City D.

Multiple afternoon reports confirmed Bolton needing surgery. Adam Teicher of ESPN reports that Bolton is "expected to miss six weeks," whereas Jeff Howe and Nate Taylor of The Athletic report that the six weeks mark an "at least" timeline. Taylor reports on X that Bolton is expected to return "at some point" in December.

Late on Sunday, David J. Chao (@ProFootballDoc on X) took to Sports Injury Central to provide his brief thoughts on Bolton's injury. He indicated that a recovery timetable "depends on how many ligaments he tore." Others with experience working on NFL sidelines took a broader approach to breaking down an injury they didn't have the finer details of. All of that is now coming into fuller focus for Bolton, who could be out until the last few games of the 2023-24 regular season. 

This situation is a big one for Kansas City, as Bolton is one of the better defensive players on the team. The 23-year-old led the team in tackles this past season and is a steady 'thumper' style of player, also popping up with the occasional play in the passing game. He's already dealt with a high-ankle sprain for weeks on end this season, with the dislocated wrist forcing him out of even more action. The offseason acquisition of Drue Tranquill will help keep the linebacker position afloat until Bolton is ready to return, though, which is fortunate for the Chiefs. They're relatively deep at the position.

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