The Washington Commanders added another playmaker to their defense by signing former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal. Here are five things to know about one of their newest defenders.
1. He played running back in high school.
Like many high school players, Chenal played both offense and defense in high school as a running back and linebacker. Not every player is good at both, however, and Chenal made an impact no matter where his coaches at Grantsburg put him.
While Chenal settled in at linebacker in college and the NFL, he was also a capable offensive weapon in high school. He finished that part of his career with 5,006 total yards and 85 touchdowns. Most of his damage was done on the ground, though, as he rushed for 3,706 yards with 68 scores. He was named Wisconsin’s small school Offensive Player of the Year as a senior and earned Second Team all-state honors as well.
But as he was at running back, Chenal was arguably better as a linebacker. He had 385 tackles, seven sacks and three interceptions for his high school career, earning him All-American honors and two all-state nods. He was the WFCA Defensive Player of the Year as a senior and voted as the top linebacker in the state that year.
Chenal, the 2018 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year, was a three-star recruit and chose to play for Wisconsin over South Dakota State.