The Kansas City Chiefs just lost most of their secondary in free agency, and now linebacker Leo Chenal is moving on.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been hit with some big losses in their defense in the last week or so, and they incurred yet another one when free agent linebacker Leo Chenal left the Chiefs to sign with the Washington Commanders.
According to a report written by Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, with the deal reportedly for three years and $24.75 million. Chenal had some success in Kansas City, starting in 44 games and winning a pair of Super Bowls with the Chiefs.
The third-round draft pick was used primarily as a blitzer in Kansas City, and according to Pro Football Focus, Chenal generated 48 pressures off blitzes. Chenal is also considered a top run-stuffing linebacker, and he made PFF’s list of top 20 linebackers overall. Chenal is also considered a good special teams player.
He’s a solid fit with the Commanders, who want to upgrade their pass rush, as new defensive coordinator clarified Washington’s need for toughness and the ability to play multiple roles.
“Versatility, adaptability, using our players’ strengths to the best of their ability, maximizing what they do … and then minimizing the things that they don’t do well,” he said of his philosophy.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, have lost most of the members for their landmark 2022 draft class, which helped the team win two Super Bowls. Kansas City did sign former Baltimore Ravens safety Aloha Gilman to help plug the holes in the secondary, but now the linebacker group has been weakened.
Nick Bolton remains a star, but it’s fair to wonder if the Chiefs will make another signing or a trade to fill out their linebacking corps. They did sign free-agent defensive tackle Khyris Tonga to a three-year, $21 million deal to bolster the interior, but on defense it feels like the recent losses are definitely outrunning the gains at this point.
Losing Chenal is somewhat surprising given how open he was to returning to the Chiefs, but Kansas City chose not to match Washington’s offer. Most of the big defensive names are now off the free-agent board, and the Chiefs could now become bargain hunters at linebacker as well.
It’s also worth speculating about the haul of draft picks the Chiefs got after trading cornerback Trent McDuffie. The Chiefs do want to get younger, but the subtractions have now become so significant that at least a couple of those picks could now be used in trades.