The Kansas City Chiefs parted ways with several starting players during the offseason.
Among them was linebacker Leo Chenal, who went on to sign a 3-year, $24.75 million free-agent contract with the Washington Commanders. Chenal was admired by his teammates and the Chiefs’ coaching staff, but ultimately there were too many other roster needs to be addressed to keep him around.
Former Kansas City Chiefs LB Leo Chenal Carted off With Serious Injuries During Commanders-Seahawks Week 3 Matchup
Midway through the second quarter of the Commanders’ Week 3 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, Chenal collided head-first into Seahawks running back Emmanuel Wilson. He stayed down for several minutes, and was eventually carted off the field.
The entire Commanders roster gathered around Chenal while he was laying on the field. He is still undergoing tests at a local hospital, but coach Dan Quinn stated after the game that Chenal does have feeling in his extremities. Washington officially labeled it as a neck/head injury. Chenal has played a similar role with the Commanders as he did during his tenure with the Chiefs.
Leo Chenal Was a Fan Favorite for Chiefs Fans
Chenal was a high motor and effort player for Kansas City. In four seasons with K.C. he appeared in 65 games with 44 starts, recording 218 total tackles, seven sacks, 26 quarterback pressures, six passes defensed, one interception, and three forced fumbles. Chenal was also a huge special teams contributor, logging over 1,000 snaps for the unit during his tenure.
In Week 10 of the 2024 he was named Special Teams Player of the Week after blocking a game-winning field goal attempt against the Denver Broncos as time expired. The Chiefs would have liked to retain Chenal, but already have a lot of money tied up in fellow linebackers Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill.
Chenal was selected in the third round (103rd overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft, which was one of the best draft classes in Chiefs history. That class also featured big-time Chiefs contributors such as cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, safety Bryan Cook, and running back Isiah Pacheco. The only member of that class that is still remaining on Kansas City’s roster is defensive end George Karlaftis.
Former 44-Game Chiefs Starter Carted off After Scary Injury Incident