To me Chenal is a big deal. And this isn't me speaking post signing. After reflection before FA started, he was the one I said I wanted at LB. I spent a lot of time on him on the draft thread when he came out.
He's sort of a poor man's Jack Campell but not that poor. Freakish combination of size, strength, speed. Perfect for the Flores defense, swiss arm knife. Tone setter, too.
In his third season, Chenal has become the Chiefs’ most versatile defender. "The guy can play whatever."
www.nytimes.com
Inside the rise of Leo Chenal, the Chiefs’ most underrated defensive player
With a microphone in his right hand, Chenal energized the crowd, lifting his arms and encouraging the fans to increase the volume of their roar. He pounded his chest twice before he flexed his large, muscular arms for the crowd.
Mitch Holthus, the Chiefs’ longtime radio play-by-play announcer, hosted a short interview with the rookies. Holthus, sensing Chenal’s energy, asked the linebacker only one question: “Leo, what do you bring to the table for the (Chiefs) Kingdom?”
Leaning forward with a smile, Chenal knew the perfect way to describe himself as a player.
“
Violence and physicality, man!” Chenal shouted, the crowd producing an even louder cheer. “That’s it. I am addicted to hitting people. I love it. I can’t get enough. That’s what I came here to do.”
Ask anyone in the unit who its most underrated player is, and the response will be Chenal.
“The guy is just consistent, physical and reliable,” safety
Justin Reid said. “You know he’s going to win his gap and he’s hell for other teams to prepare for. He’s a really fun guy to play with. The guy can play whatever.”
Over the past month,
The Athletic has asked many of the Chiefs’ defenders a simple question: Have you played with anyone like Chenal before? Every player but one said no.
While the Chiefs have two star players on defense, pass rusher
Chris Jones and cornerback
Trent McDuffie, Chenal is the most versatile player. In 145 defensive snaps this season, Chenal has played five positions — both off-ball linebacker spots, defensive end, defensive tackle and slot cornerback.
“It’s always nice getting on the field more, so I’ll take it,” Chenal said, smiling. “It’s really fun to be able to expand (my role) even more. I need to really know any (play) call that we have in.
“It’s just an honor to be in that position and have more stress on your shoulders because it means (the coaches) trust you.”
By most advanced metrics, however, Chenal’s performance has been significant to the Chiefs’ defensive success. Chenal is one of the highest-graded Chiefs players, earning a 78.7 overall, according to Pro Football Focus, including the team’s highest grade on run defense (80.2). He has generated seven stops and allowed just 17 receiving yards when in coverage as the nearest defender, according to Pro Football Focus. He has also missed only one tackle and has not committed a penalty. When Chenal has been on the field, the Chiefs have had a successful snap, by expected points added, 55 percent of the time, according to TruMedia.
“Pound-for-pound, he’s our strongest guy on defense,” longtime coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said of Chenal. “He loves to play. You give Leo any challenge, like, ‘Hey, I need you to do this this week,’ he says, ‘No problem.’ If you feed him something, you know it’s going to get done exactly the way you asked him to do it.”
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