Leo Chenal is one of the many new faces on the Commanders defense and he's the kind of player that can impact a game in multiple ways, especially on special teams.
Everyone is excited about what Sonny Styles can bring to the table
and for good reason.
But don't sleep on Leo Chenal, one of the Washington Commanders
' many free agent additions on defense.
That's because Chenal is very much the type of football player that you can describe as a football player. The former third-round pick is a rare athlete who excelled at multiple roles during his time with the Kansas City Chiefs
. He can be a physical off-ball linebacker in heavy personnel packages and he has more than enough juice to match in coverage.
Chenal lined up all over the formation on defense for Steve Spagnuolo. It feels like a player with some untapped potential as a pass-rusher in a 3-4 scheme and Chenal totally understands the opportunity that comes with Daronte Jones' defense
.
"The scheme that Coach Jones brought, you know, from Minnesota
, is really linebacker friendly in my opinion," Chenal told reporters after mandatory minicamp
. "A lot of eyes on the quarterback, being able to see the running back in the run game, [and] just (the ability) to make plays, it's exciting…
" … The two big things … a lot of defenses, different defenses, and it works for them, they search the routes down. They're staring at the routes while, you know, sometimes the ball is in the air, but a lot of our match zones, or a lot of our coverages here, allow us to really like, get back to where we're supposed to be, you know, see periphery routes, but be able to look back at the quarterback and be able to break on where he's throwing. So we get more hats to the ball, more opportunity to make big plays.
"And then in the run game, really just be able to flow off the path of the running back's shoulders, that's great."
The Commanders' linebacker room is the best unit on the team and has a chance to really make an impact in 2026. Chenal figures to be a central part of that, but it's not the only area where he can help sway the game in the Commanders' favor.
As good as Chenal is, perhaps the most underrated part of his game is special teams. No field goal or PAT is safe around this guy. Remember the Chiefs' field goal block against the Broncos
in 2024? Justin Reid
got credit on broadcast, but Chenal made the play. How about later that year when he blocked a field goal by Houston Texans
kicker Ka'imi Fairburn?
Perhaps his best came in Super Bowl LVIII, when he blocked San Francisco 49ers
kicker Jake Moody
's extra point in the fourth quarter to keep the game within three points.
Chenal has been a special teams stalwart since he entered the league. Below are his PFF grades for each season and where they ranked among his Chiefs teammates (min. 50 snaps):
2022:76.1 (6th)
2023:90.0 (1st)
2024:90.7 (1st)
2025:91.0 (1st)
That's right: Chenal was the top-graded player on the Chiefs special teams for three-straight
seasons and earned grades of 90+ in each year. That's massive and we all know how much the Commanders love to set the tone on 'teams. Chenal will undoubtedly make the unit even better than it was last year.
If he's allowed to, Chenal can impact the game in multiple ways. Ultimately, it'll be up to the Commanders coaching staff to put him in those opportunities to thrive. So far, it sounds like that's exactly what's happening.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Commanders' $24 million free agent addition is the complete package that can flip a game on its head at any moment
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