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Chiefs Rumors: Leo Chenal emerging as a year two breakout candidate

During his rookie season with the Kansas City Chiefs, former Wisconsin Badgers star Leo Chenal didn’t have much role to speak of on the defense. As a depth and rotational piece, the then-first-year linebacker played just 261 snaps on the season for the defense.

Willie Gay and Nick Bolton are still entrenched as the starting linebackers for Steve Spagnuolo’s defense but, if there is room for another player to earn more opportunities in the 2023 season, it may very well be Chenal.

The former third-round pick hasn’t generated a ton of buzz in training camp, but he showed out on the biggest stage yet, Kansas City’s preseason opener. Wesley Roesch of Chiefs Wire named Chenal as one of the “studs” of the exhibition contest against the Saints, noting that he made a handful of key stops for the Chiefs defense.

"Entering his second season, Leo Chenal might take a step up in 2023. His upward trend was hinted at Sunday when he had three tackles which were all defensive stops. Chenal is showing that he has a nose for the football."

The Chiefs made it a priority to upgrade the depth at linebacker this offseason as they inked Drue Tranquill to a sizable free-agency contract. That’s even more pressing given that Gay is set to hit free agency after this season. But if Chenal can truly emerge as a breakout candidate in his second season, then Kansas City will have played the situation perfectly.

And it’s starting to look more like that is, indeed, the case with the 2022 third-round pick.