Ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs' week 14 matchup against the Buffalo Bills, linebacker Nick Bolton has been activated off of injury reserve in the place of safety Bryan Cook per Adam Schefter.

Schefter tweeted on Saturday afternoon, “Chiefs activated LB Nick Bolton from injured reserve and placed S Bryan Cook on injured reserve.”

Bolton returns to the lineup after a high ankle sprain and dislocated wrist kept him on the sidelines. He had successful surgery last month and was cleared to return to play. Bolton is a game-changer for the Chiefs on defense, finishing last season with 180 combined tackles, 2 sacks, and two interceptions. Thus far this season, he's only played four games due to his lingering injuries, and when he returns to the field, he will do so with a small cast to protect his recently repaired wrist.

Via Jeremy Fowler:

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“Chiefs LB Nick Bolton (activated today) expected to play Sunday vs. Buffalo with a small cast to protect his wrist, per source. One of the game’s top LBs back in action for Kansas City.”

Cook was injured in the Chief's Sunday Night Football loss to the Packers last week. He, along with linebacker Drue Tranquil who also left last week's game, were held out of practice and ruled out of the Week 14 matchup. It is believed that Cook suffered an ankle sprain that will keep him out for an extended period of time, although X-rays came back negative and showed that there was no fracture.

The addition of Bolton back into the lineup could give a boost to a Chiefs defense that started out the season red hot and even had Patrick Mahomes saying that they had a chance to be the best defense in the league following a big win against the Dolphins on November 5. However, the defense has struggled in recent matchups partly due to injuries to key players.

The Chiefs look to rebound versus the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The game will be broadcast on CBS with kickoff slated to be at 4:25 PM EST.