Commanders linebacker Leo Chenal will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery for a neck fracture he sustained during Sunday’s home win over the Seahawks, according to multiple reports.
Chenal’s brother Adam Chenal posted on X that Chenal was having surgery Monday morning to “replace his wrecked vertebrae with titanium.”
With just under seven minutes remaining in the first half, Chenal attempted to tackle Seattle running back Emanuel Wilson on a 1st-and-10 run play. But as Chenal lowered his head, Wilson’s leg appeared to make contact with the crown of Chenal’s helmet. The fifth-year linebacker then fell to the ground and after a few minutes a trainer motioned for the medical cart to come out.
Chenal was taken to a hospital, and after the game Washington head coach Dan Quinn told reporters that Chenal had feeling in his extremities. While he was being carted off the field, Chenal gave an emphatic fist pump to the home crowd.
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Signed to a three-year contract by the Commanders in March following four seasons — and two Super Bowl wins — with the Kansas City Chiefs, Chenal had been thrust into the starting lineup after Frankie Luvu injured his groin against the Eagles in Week 1.
Chenal had 18 tackles on the season, the second-most on the team.
The Commanders (1-2) have few healthy inside linebackers just three weeks into the season. Luvu and Jordan Magee, who sustained a hamstring injury, were both taken out in the Eagles game; Magee was placed on injured reserve and will have to miss at least two more games.
Rookie Sonny Styles Jr., second-year player Kain Medrano, and practice squad members Ale Kaho and Austin Keys are the only available interior linebackers currently on the roster.
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