With the Cincinnati Bengals set to release or trade Germaine Pratt, linebacker should be a major need entering NFL free agency.

It just so happens that Kansas City Chiefs standout Nick Bolton is set to hit the market for the first time in his career. That’s who USA Today writer Jacob Camenker has the Bengals landing in one of his NFL free agency predictions.

“Here’s another move where an AFC contender gets better at the expense of the Chiefs. Bolton has been a productive, three-down linebacker for Kansas City, eclipsing 100 tackles in three of his four seasons and logging career-best marks in sacks (3) and pass defenses (6) in 2024,” wrote Camenker. “The Bengals need a three-down linebacker to replace Germaine Pratt, who requested a trade, and soon-to-be 25-year-old Bolton would be a core building block in Al Golden’s defense.”

A 2021 second-round NFL Draft pick out of Missouri, Bolton has been a solid starter for a Chiefs defense that’s consistently been among the league’s best units, finishing 11th (2022), second (2023), and ninth (2024) in yards per game allowed over the last three seasons.

Over The Cap has Bolton’s APY valuation at $9 million, while Spotrac projects him to earn $12.3 million annually. That’s probably too rich for the Bengals’ taste, but off-ball linebackers can have a very volatile market. Perhaps he’ll be someone the Bengals make a push for if they can get him closer to that $9 million-per-year salary.

this was such a great effort from Nick Bolton to stop Ekeler short of the sticks on 3rd down pic.twitter.com/7zERLfiJhI

— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) September 16, 2022

This play is a reminder to give a guy time. This time last year people were all over Nick Bolton about his lateral speed in his first few games. Watch him now with a year of games and offseason under his belt. #JacobsEyeInTheSky #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/AEXVGD1s51

— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) September 14, 2022

Thoughts on Bolton becoming a Bengal?