Leo Chenal has turned into one of Steve Spagnuolo's most reliable and dynamic weapons in the second level, a player with a penchant for impact plays under the brightest lights. He's also about to turn into a former player.
With the clock ticking on the Kansas City Chiefs' season with only three games remaining, Chenal and the rest of the team's 2022 NFL Draft class were already facing the end of their tenures in Kansas City, contractually speaking. The end has come a bit sooner for Chenal if the Chiefs fail to offer him an acceptable contract extension.
The Chiefs announced a series of roster moves on Saturday as they head into a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. One of those transactions was placing Chenal on injured reserve, thus ending his season prematurely as he's forced to miss the year's final three contests.
Along with Chenal, the Chiefs also placed right tackle Jawaan Taylor on IR as well. In their places, Kansas City promoted right tackle Chu Godrick and running back Dameon Pierce. Elijah Mitchell was also released from the active roster after serving as a healthy scratch for most of the season.
Leo Chenal’s season-ending move to injured reserve raises real questions about his future in Kansas City.
Chenal was selected in the third round of the 2022 draft as a menacing linebacker out of Wisconsin. He came to the NFL with rave reviews as a run blocker, and that reputation as held up well. Chenal is a thumper with excellent instincts to sniff out plays at the line of scrimmage. He's also come a long way as a blitzer in his first four NFL seasons, which is why Spagnuolo has learned to rely on him in versatile ways.
Despite a shoulder injury that will rob him of Weeks 16-18 in 2025, Chenal has proven to be a very reliable contributor, having never missed a previous game in his four years in K.C, which includes long postseason runs.
Given the fact that Chenal's strengths label him as a two-down producer, it's hard to figure out a precise value for him in free agency. The Chiefs might value him more than others, or perhaps a linebacker-needy team will give him room to grow as a leader. But the Chiefs already have a massive cap hit at the position in Nick Bolton ($19.25 million) and Drue Tranquill is also on the books for 2026 for $7.5M as well. It's possible an extension with Chenal keeps a '26 cap hit on the low end, while Tranquill can be cut for $1.5M in dead money, but nothing is certain.
For all that he's brought to the franchise—from exciting one-handed interceptions of Lamar Jackson to game-clinching blocked kicks on special teams—Chenal might be prematurely finished with his career in Kansas City. It's a frustrating end for a player who was everything the team hoped he would be when he was drafted.