LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – The Washington Commanders announced today that they have signed linebacker Leo Chenal. Full terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Chenal (6-3, 250) is entering his fifth year in the NFL after entering the league with the Kansas City Chiefs as a third-round pick (39th overall) in 2022. In his career, Chenal has appeared in 65 games with 44 starts and recorded 193 total tackles, 7.0 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, six passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one interception. Chenal has appeared in three Super Bowls (LVII, LVIII, LIX) and is a two-time Super Bowl Champion (LVII and LVIII). He was also named an alternate for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games.
Before joining Washington, Chenal spent his entire career with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Last season, Chenal played in 14 games, with 12 starts, and totaled 54 tackles, 2.0 sacks, five quarterback hits, two passes defensed and one interception.
In 2024, Chenal started a career high 14 games, with 53 total tackles, 1.0 sacks, four tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and three passes defensed. In the postseason, he started in three games while recording eight total tackles, one quarterback hit, one tackle for loss and one fumble recovery. During Super Bowl LVIII, he recorded six tackles, one quarterback hit, one tackle for loss and one forced fumble.
From 2022-23, Chenal saw action in 34 games, starting in 18, and recorded 86 total tackles, 4.0 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits, and one pass defensed. In Super Bowl LVII, he totaled six tackles, 1.0 sack and one tackle for loss.
Chenal played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin from 2019-21 where he played in 29 games and recorded 181 total tackles, 12.0 sacks, 26.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, two passes defensed, one fumble recovery and one interception. He was named the 2021 Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year, AFCA first-team All-American, second-team All-American by AP, FWAA, Sporting News and Walter Camp.
Chenal, a Grantsburg, Wisconsin native, attended Grantsburg High School where he was named second-team all-state on both offense and defense by Associated Press and was named 2018 Gatorade Player of the Year.
