Nick Bolton reveals one reason Kansas City Chiefs rookie LB Jeffrey Bassa could be ahead of the curve heading into 2026
Kansas City Chiefs rookie LB Jeffrey Bassa’s lack of playing time in 2025 wasn’t due to a lack of preparation.
Back in June, Kansas City Chiefs LB Nick Bolton sent Chiefs Kingdom into a frenzy after sharing his first impressions of rookie LB Jeffrey Bassa. He called him a blend of Willie Gay Jr. and Leo Chenal, two fan favorites at the linebacker position during the Steve Spagnuolo era.
The Chiefs have been fortunate, outside of the recent injury to Leo Chenal, to stay relatively healthy at the linebacker position this season. What has been a boon for the team has been a curse for Bassa’s ability to get on the field outside of playing for Dave Toub on special teams. Entering Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season against the Las Vegas Raiders, Bassa has played just 17 defensive snaps compared to over 250 snaps on special teams.
Despite a rookie campaign that didn’t lead to much action, Bassa may actually be ahead of the curve when it comes to contributing during the 2026 NFL season.
Chiefs veteran Nick Bolton reveals a key work habit of rookie LB Jeffrey Bassa
As a depth player in the NFL, there’s always talk of staying ready, as you never know when your number will be called. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Chiefs veteran LB Nick Bolton revealed that Bassa has been fully engaged every week, despite a lack of opportunities on the defensive side of the ball throughout the 2025 NFL season.
“He’s (Jeffrey Bassa) learning the scheme out there,” Bolton told reporters. “Earlier in the game, he’s out there giving me checks and calls and things throughout the week that we’ve been working on. Definitely reassuring as a middle linebacker to have somebody paying attention throughout the week when the weeks don’t really matter that much for him, he wasn’t playing that much. Having somebody locked in on the game plan week in and week out, making sure he’s on his P’s and Q’s, I’m super proud of him for that. Obviously, it’s with limited snaps, so hopefully we get him in there a little bit more and see what he can do a little bit.”
With some expected departures at the position group this offseason, that preparedness from Bassa could go a long way when it comes to earning the trust of Steve Spagnuolo, Brendan Daly, and his teammates to carve out a more substantial role on defense in 2026. Fans could even get a preview of what that may look like against the Raiders on Sunday afternoon.
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