Pro Football Focus identifies a prime destination for Leo Chenal, highlighting his run-stopping prowess and emerging coverage skills for a struggling defense.
The Kansas City Chiefs have a lot of questions to answer this offseason when it comes to their roster, with the future of tight end Travis kelce being the biggest one.
However, another is about the future of linebacker Leo Chenal.
Chenal was placed on injured reserve in December, which ended his season.
However, the 2022 third-round pick out of Wisconsin just finished his fourth year with the Chiefs.
In 2025, he played in 14 games, but he played in every single game during his four-year tenure before landing on IR.
Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus named some of the best landing spots for 10 defensive players, and he had Chenal linked to the Carolina Panthers.
"After playing a limited role as a situational run-stuffing and blitzing linebacker to start his career with the Chiefs, Chenal is ready to take on a full-time role elsewhere. He has posted a 70.0-plus PFF run-defense grade in each of his first four seasons. But, it’s his improvements in coverage — headlined by a career-best 72.6 PFF grade in 2025 — that should make him an enticing option," Cameron wrote.
Chenal definitely deserves a full-time role, and it remains to be seen if the Chiefs view him as that type of player.
As far as the Panthers go, they are fresh off of an NFC South division crown and a playoff appearance, one where they nearly upset the Los Angeles Rams.
The Panthers' adding defensive pieces makes sense, especially with a lot of talented young playmakers on the offensive side of the football.
"The Panthers' linebacking corps failed to produce a single player with a PFF overall grade above 55.0. Adding Chenal to headline the group as the new green-dot communicator would project well for a defense that ranked 23rd in EPA per play allowed this past season," Cameron wrote.
Chenal's rookie contract came to an end, and he could be a name to watch in free agency.
The Chiefs have a lot of other questions to answer about this roster, so committing to Chenal going forward might not be their top priority, although seeing him leave would be a tough loss for the defense.
Another impressive stat is Chenal's missed tackles, and he only missed four tackles all year long.
Throughout his four years with the Chiefs, Chenal has a total of 218 tackles with 124 solo tackles. He also has seven sacks with three forced fumbles and an interception, so he has been a breath of fresh air despite being a third-round draft pick coming out of college.
When NFL free agency begins, it will be interesting to see what type of offers come his way, especially after a productive four seasons for a team that went to the Super Bowl three years in a row before missing the playoffs in 2025.
For now, it is very possible that the Chiefs don't bring back Chenal, mainly due to the type of money he could command in free agency.