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Report: Washington Commanders to sign former Kansas City Chiefs LB Leo Chenal to 3-year contract

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz03/10/26NickSchultz_7

The Washington Commanders are signing former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported. He is set to sign a three-year contract worth $24.75 million.

Chenal spent four seasons with the Chiefs after going in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin. This past season, he totaled 58 tackles to go with 2.0 sacks as part of the Kansas City defense. He was also an instrumental part of the franchise’s back-to-back Super Bowl titles.

Chenal’s best season with the Chiefs came in 2023 when he had 65 total tackles and 3.0 sacks, both of which are career highs. He also had eight tackles for loss and seven quarterback hits that year.

During his time at Wisconsin, Chenal was one of the top players in the Big Ten. He was a first team All-American in 2021 and won the Big Ten’s Linebacker of the Year as he totaled 114 tackles, including a conference-leading 17.5 tackles for loss, and 8.0 sacks.

Leo Chenal is the latest addition to the Commanders’ class of free agents as the legal tampering period gets underway. Washington made another splash on defense Monday, landing one of the top edge rushers on the open market in Odafe Oweh.

Oweh agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract with the Commanders, including $68 million guaranteed. He started the 2025 season with the Baltimore Ravens before they traded him to the Los Angeles Chargers. He made a major impact with Los Angeles as he totaled 28 tackles and 7.5 sacks across 12 games with the franchise.

While the Chiefs have lost some talent in free agency, including Chenal and Jaylen Watson, they’ve still been active during the legal tampering period. Kansas City notably agreed to sign former Seattle Seahawks running back – and reigning Super Bowl MVP – Kenneth Walker III to a three-year, $43 million deal.

Walker is expected to take a lead role in the Chiefs backfield after dominating for Seattle in the postseason. His workload increased after Zach Charbonnet’s season-ending injury, and it culminated with a historic Super Bowl performance. Walker took 27 carries for 135 yards while adding two catches for 26 yards to help the Seahawks take down the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.