'Chicago P.D.' season 7 could see Kevin Atwater get an upgrade with more episodes being centered around him
Kevin Atwater (played by LaRoyce Hawkins) from 'Chicago P.D.' is one of the most complex characters in the 'Chicago' franchise, quite possibly to do with the fact that he is an African-American cop in a city that is known for the issues between its law enforcement and its African-American population. Usually, on the show, when the story centers around him, it mostly is from a racial angle.
In Season 6, two episodes predominantly featured Atwater. One was the episode 'Black and Blue', where Atwater finally (first time in 6 seasons) got a love interest, Laila, only for her to be arrested at the end of the episode and is never seen again. In another episode, 'Night in Chicago', Atwater is undercover with an African-American man on the way to meet someone (with the Intelligence Unit nearby monitoring), when their car is stopped by two police officers who are clearly racist, one of whom ends up shooting the man Atwater was with. Atwater is conflicted about whether to absolve this cop of the killing but after a conversation with Voight, tells the committee that the officer made a "good shot". Later, however, Atwater beats up the cop.
In Season 7, Atwater could be getting more screentime with Antonio out of the picture and Adam Ruzek (Patrick Flueger )seemingly in jail. Even if Ruzek makes bail, he mostly won't be able to return until the Internal Affairs investigation clears him (if it ever will even). Should Atwater get more central to the Intelligence Unit and the show, we would like his stories to be about more than just him being an African-American who tries to reconcile with being a cop. It bears to keep in mind that while Atwater is on the Intelligence Unit, he is not yet a detective and this is a side that the writers can explore. With Antonio gone, the team needs more of the team to get that rank -- Atwater, Ruzek, and Burgess are not detectives and the writers did hint that one or all of them could end up being promoted.
On the personal side, showrunner Rick Eid suggested there may be a new inter-office romance on the way and that it "may or may not involve Atwater". We hope it is not with Burgess -- the friendship between them is one of the purest things on the show. But it could be new cop Vanessa Rojas (Lisseth Chavez) who will be recurring in Season 7. A long-term romance could potentially open up new avenues for the development of Atwater's character.
Speaking of friendships, we also know that Ruzek will be bailed out after one night in jail and he will be struggling to cope with the night he spent there. Ruzek might ostensibly not coming back to work and he is going to need someone to help him get through a difficult time. Atwater could be that friend -- their bromance is already something fans love and certainly more moments between these two couldn't hurt.