Andy Reid On Jack Cochrane’s Play, Potential Nick Bolton Return

The Kansas City Chiefs got thrown for a loop early in their Week 13 loss to the Green Bay Packers, as an injury to linebacker Drue Tranquill made an already tough situation even worse.

With Nick Bolton still out of the lineup as he works his way back from a dislocated wrist, Kansas City was operating with its No. 2 linebacker in the fold. Once Tranquill took a helmet to the head and had to enter concussion protocol, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had to go deeper into the well for help. Second-year undrafted free agent Jack Cochrane was the man for the job, stepping in and serving as the Chiefs' MIKE and "green dot" linebacker.

Playing 57 snaps on defense and another 15 on special teams, a lot was asked of Cochrane on the Sunday Night Football stage. In all, he recorded a career-high seven tackles with two of them being for a loss. Things weren't always perfect, sure. The defense turned in its worst performance of the season and there was a noticeable dip in efficiency with communication. Still, Cochrane's readiness and play didn't surprise the team. Head coach Andy Reid, speaking to the media on Monday, praised the former undrafted free agent. 

“Jack rotates in during the week and will spot Drue that’s a part of what we do, very very smart – he’s very smart," Reid said. "I thought he did a decent job in there; he made a couple of nice plays for us. I know everybody has confidence in Jack. It’s too bad about Drue, he’s been doing a phenomenal job for us and just took a knee to the head, you probably saw that. Fast recovery for him we hope. It was a good experience for Jack to get in there and get some extensive play time, but Jack – he’s not just a throw-in there, he does a pretty good job.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Cochrane's four "stops" led all Kansas City players on defense. In fact, that was double the total of second-place finishers Matt Dickerson and Justin Reid. He also posted the second-best coverage grade on defense and surrendered -1 yards per reception via their tracking. In the event that Tranquill misses a game or two (something that is unclear right now), Cochrane showed enough to be counted on.

The Chiefs' hope, however, is that Cochrane won't be needed. With no offense to him, of course, they'd prefer to get one of their two leading linebackers back in the fold. Is the return of Bolton against the Buffalo Bills this weekend imminent? Not only is he reaching the originally-reported six-week mark since his surgery in late October, but this is the second week of his 21-day practice window being open. Reid briefly addressed Bolton's progress on Monday, saying the team is taking a wait-and-see approach while he remains on the injured reserve list.

“He practiced last week, and I know he’s chomping at the bit to get back in there and play, so we’ll see how it goes for this week," Reid said. "He will be a week better though; I know that. We’ll just see how it works out these next couple of days.”

Coming into the season, the Chiefs' depth at linebacker was viewed as the best of the Patrick Mahomes era. After Bolton and Tranquill at the top, the duo of Willie Gay Jr. and Leo Chenal injected playmaking and athleticism into the group. Cochrane was a relative afterthought in the eyes of many, although he's taking advantage of his opportunity now and ensuring that folks know his name. Was his heavy involvement a one-time thing, or could another week to showcase his talents be in store? Kansas City will find that out over the next few days.