A young prodigy on the Kansas City Chiefs roster doesn’t get his share of flowers. When we think of the men in red, names like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce tend to take over the spotlight but it looks like Leo Chenal’s day in the sun is coming soon too.
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Former linebacker for the Chiefs, Derrick Johnson appeared on the ‘Love You Bro’ podcast and finally gave the prodigy in question his flowers and shed light on his identity. According to Johnson, linebacker Leo Chenal is the “most underrated” player on the Chiefs roster:
“There’s not many players like this. Leo Chenal can do all of that. So when you got that army Swiss knife that gives your linebacking crew in that defense some depth.”
Chenal was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022 as their 3rd round pick and has proved his worth ten times over since then.
In the 99 games he’s played for the Chiefs, the 23-year-old has recorded 58 solo tackles and made 41 assists but that’s not all he does. Though he’s a linebacker, he tends to play all positions on the field, providing more depth to the team’s defense.
The Chiefs haven’t lost a single game this season yet with 5 back-to-back wins and Chenal’s defense has a small role to play in it too. When it comes to defense, his speed and electricity add to the team’s performance, and along with that, he emits power, which proves to be crucial in tough situations.
All in all, Chenal seems to excel wherever he plays and has signs of a great linebacker in the future.
After his performance against the Baltimore Ravens, the Chiefs decided to play Chenal more than his role and the LB couldn’t be happier with the situation.
Chenal is ecstatic with his expanding role on the team
On 6th September, the Chiefs played against the Ravens by a score of 27-20 and one of the highlights of the game was none other than Leo Chenal. The third-year linebacker lined up on the edge of the defensive line on 18 of his 48 snaps in the game and rushed the QB on 25 snaps.
He was used more frequently in the trenches rather than solely on the edge. The defensive scheme involved moving him down to the line of scrimmage, a strategy that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been preparing him for.
The Chiefs have a multi-faceted talent in their hands and Chenal couldn’t be happier to welcome a bigger role in the team.
“It’s always nice getting on the field more, I’ll take it. It’s really fun to be able to expand that even more, from rookie year to second year to third year. It’s being able to fully understand the job and the guys in front of me.”
Thus, this season will be pivotal for Chenal to showcase his true mettle and become one of the stars of the team.
Moreover, seeing as Chenal is one of the younger players in the team, it’s plausible that the fans will get to see him only rise for a lot more years to come, even if it’s not with the red jersey.
