Kansas City Chiefs rookie LB Nick Bolton made his first career start on Sunday

Bolton played an increased number of snaps against the Cleveland Browns because of LB Willie Gay Jr.’s absence due to injury. The former University of Missouri standout registered seven total tackles in the game, tying DB Juan Thornhill and CB L’Jarius Sneed for the team lead. He also notched a tackle for loss in his debut.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Chiefs HC Andy Reid had high praise for Bolton’s performance in his regular-season debut.

“I thought Nick (Bolton) did a pretty good job,” Reid said. “He had a couple of real secure tackles that were important for us. It looked like mentally he was able to digest everything they threw at him, and if he did make a mistake, he fixed it the second time around. On defense, if you’re a repeat offender that can be a tough deal on the defense, so he’s been good with that and he was good with that in the game too.”

Bolton saw quite a few snaps during training camp and the preseason due to injuries to players like Willie Gay Jr. and Anthony Hitchens. Those increased repetitions seemed to have him prepared for a roller-coaster game against the Browns in Week 1.

The ability to adjust mid-game and learn from your mistakes is crucial in this league. But to see Bolton make a few key plays too, that’s just icing on the cake for Kansas City. With Gay Jr. out a minimum of two more weeks, the team will continue to rely on the rookie to fill in on defense. There’s plenty of room for growth, but this was hardly a bad start to his NFL career.