The Commanders spent the summer trying to reshape the roster with a very specific blueprint: younger, faster, hungrier and more versatile. Adam Peters was picky about who he brought in, and linebacker Leo Chenal fits the bill almost too cleanly.
He’s the kind of player teams love to add when they want more than just talent. Chenal gives Washington a utility piece who can handle the dirty work, bring value in a bunch of different roles and help set a different tone inside the building.
On top of that, he has the kind of voice that carries. He is already pushing the bar higher for himself and everyone around him.
That confidence showed up quickly when Chenal was asked whether Washington can chase a Lombardi trophy. He didn’t duck the question.
Leo Chenal won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs.
I asked him if he believes the Commanders can make a run at a Lombardi?
Leo told me, "I really do...on the defensive side I'm really excited. We're flying around everywhere right now...that culture is definitely elevated." pic.twitter.com/EGVq8LnWRd
- Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) August 3, 2026
Chenal’s answer matters because he’s not speaking like a player trying to manufacture optimism. He already owns two Super Bowl rings from his first two NFL seasons with Kansas City, where he was an important role player on both championship teams.
He’s been there. He knows what winning looks like.
And while the idea may sound bold, it’s not out of nowhere. Last season reminded everyone that the league can flip fast.
The Seattle Seahawks, after going 10-7 and missing the playoffs the year before, ended up winning Super Bowl LX. The New England Patriots got to the big game after a four-win 2024 season with an unproven second-year quarterback.
Washington has its own reason to believe. Jayden Daniels is entering Year 3 and has already been to a conference championship.
The Commanders’ roster over the past two seasons had flaws, but it also had talent, and the results swung wildly in both directions. Now Peters has adjusted the mix, and Dan Quinn’s new coordinators on both sides of the ball give the 2026 team a different setup to work with.
That doesn’t mean a deep playoff run is automatic. Plenty still has to break right.
Health has to hold. The offseason talk about young players stepping up has to turn into real production.
And David Blough and Daronte Jones have to show they’re the right fits for their jobs.
But if those pieces fall into place, Washington has a real path to something bigger. Chenal clearly thinks so, and he’s not shy about saying it.
In Other News...
Commanders May Have Found A Surprise Answer To Their Pass Rush
Washington has spent the offseason trying to add more teeth to a pass rush that needs more reliable pressure, bringing in edge rushers Odafe Oweh and KLavon Chaisson while also using the draft to add linebacker Sonny Styles. The broader idea is clear: the Commanders want more disruption off the edge and more help making life uncomfortable for opposing quarterbacks, and camp has already started to sort out who fits into that mix.
One rookie has begun to stand out in that competition, even while he is still getting comfortable in Daronte Jones defensive system. As he works through the playbook, he has shown enough in training camp to get noticed, giving Washington another possible answer at a spot where it can use all the help it can get. The command now is simple enough, even if the path there is not: keep building the rush, and let the young players keep forcing the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Add A Familiar D.C. Name To Their Linebacker Room
The Commanders kept adding to their linebacker depth by signing Curtis Jacobs, a familiar name around the D.C. football scene after his run with the DC Defenders and his college career at Penn State. Jacobs entered the league as an undrafted free agent with Kansas City in 2024 and has spent time on practice squads with multiple teams since then, giving Washington another look at a player who has kept finding his way back onto NFL radars.
To make room, Washington also moved on from guard Sala Aumavae-Laulu and safety Rob McDaniel. The roster shuffle is the kind of spring and summer churn that often reshapes the back end of a roster, especially for a team still sorting out the right mix of depth pieces before the competition picks up in earnest. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Moody Is Putting Washingtons Kicking Decision In Real Doubt
Washingtons kicking picture has taken on an unexpectedly unsettled feel in training camp, and Jake Moody is right in the middle of it. The Commanders brought him in to stabilize a spot that can flip games in a hurry, but his accuracy has slipped in his second and third NFL seasons, leaving the staff to watch every rep a little more closely than planned.
Moody is trying to reclaim the consistency that made him a safer bet earlier in his career, yet the urgency around the job keeps growing. With his future in Washington far from settled, every practice kick now carries a little extra weight, and the Commanders are getting a reminder that even one of the least glamorous positions on the roster can become one of the most scrutinized. [Read more 🡒]