The Kansas City Chiefs have several impact players on their team that fly under the radar compared to their teammates. Take third-year linebacker Leo Chenal, for example, who was recently named to Bleacher Report’s All-Underrated Team.
“Here’s the thing: Chenal isn’t even an every-down player. But he’s already careening toward impact performer status,” Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski wrote on May 22.
“Previously, Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill and Willie Gay primarily served as the Chiefs’ off-ball linebackers,” Sobleski continued. “Gay did leave this offseason to sign a free-agent deal with the New Orleans Saints. But Chenal was most effective when working as the Sam ‘backer, where he can consistently win at or near the line of scrimmage.
“However, the continued growth curve seen in Chenal’s game can’t be denied. As a rookie, he graded better than any other linebacker, per PFF. His performance in the Super Bowl wasn’t a one-game aberration, either. Chenal graded as the league’s best defender for the entire 2023 playoffs.”
Leo Chenal’s Super Bowl Performance Left Chiefs Kingdom Excited for What’s to Come
Sobleski smartly led with Chenal’s 2024 Super Bowl performance against the San Francisco 49ers to explain why the 23-year-old linebacker made the All-Underrated Team.
“Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal was a wrecking ball during Super Bowl LVIII,” Sobleski wrote.
“During KC’s 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers, Chenal registered six total tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, a quarterback hit and a blocked extra point,” he continued. “He emerged from the contest as the game’s highest-graded player, according to Pro Football Focus.”
Though Chenal’s postseason performance was exceptional, he played very well for the entirety of the 2023 season.
Chenal finished the 2023 regular season with an 84.0 PFF defensive grade, which ranked fifth among all linebackers who played at least 100 defensive snaps. He also had a 90.6 run defense grade, which ranked third among all linebackers under the same criteria.
Those are the type of numbers you want to see from a player who will need to play a bigger role in 2024 due to the departure of fellow LB Willie Gay.
Nick Bolton Talks About Defense’s Continuity at OTAs
The Chiefs’ defense has nine out of a possible 11 starters returning for the 2024 season, which means there is quite a bit of continuity on that side of the ball.
Coming off of a season in which Kansas City’s defense was one of the best units in the NFL, Chiefs fourth-year linebacker Nick Bolton talked about the continuity of the Chiefs’ defense.
“Since being here, guys have been in the same system, kind of growing together. We’re learning the ins and outs of the scheme together at the same time, so we understand the communication part and the weaknesses of the coverage – I think that’s a big thing for us,” Bolton said during day two of organized team activities (OTAs) on May 22. “Just trying to use our athleticism, use our youth and things that we understand like, ‘The ball might get thrown here, we’re going to have to vice tackle it or use our athleticism to make a tackle.’ We’re learning those things this year. We have a lot of young guys like (Chamarri Conner) coming back. We’ve got veterans as well. It’s a group effort, and we’re all trying to get better every single day.”
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