Coach Dan Quinn’s defense struggled in 2025, leading him to take over play calls from Whitt during the season. The Chiefs not only brought in Jones to give the defense a different flavor, but completely overhauled the unit.
Along with Chenal, Washington signed wide receivers Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson, defensive linemen Tim Settle, Charles Omenihu and DJ Davidson, and defensive backs Ahkello Witherspoon, Amik Robertson, Rasul Douglas and Nick Cross. They also added linebacker Sonny Styles in the first round to help round out the unit.
In the middle of the defence, with off-ball defenders Chenal, Styles and Frankie Luvu, the Chiefs have impressive versatility. The trio can all operate in different ways, including rushing the passer when called upon, which should make Washington’s defense more difficult to predict.
“We have a lot of dogs,” Chenal said of his new linebacking corps.
The key thing is for Quinn and his new DC to get all the pieces mixed up. We’ve seen teams dive deep into free agency in the past to try to save units, especially on defense, only to see it collapse. Washington believes its mix of new vets, keepers and youngsters can avoid that fate.
“I love DQ,” Chenal said of Quinn. “Before I got here to Washington, that’s also an aspect that I put in. He doesn’t ask for respect, it’s just given to him because of what he’s done and how he’s earned it, how he approaches things. He’s super player-friendly. He has so much energy, whether it’s in the team meeting, he’s getting people going in the morning, he’s so good in his response, like he’s really good in the morning. His players and coaches It’s really exciting.
“You feel like you’re welcome. You feel like you can let loose a little bit, and that helps the defense as well, like how we’re coached. Like, ‘How do we feel about this?’ How can we maximize your abilities?”It really all comes together.”
With an improved defense and Jayden Daniels returning healthy, the Chiefs are a candidate for a comeback in 2026 — if all goes well.