The Chicago Bears signed free-agent nose tackle Mike Pennel to an undisclosed deal on Monday and released veteran linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu in a corresponding move. Pennel signed with the Bears in June of last year but was released with an injury settlement when he landed on Injured Reserve. He then joined the Atlanta Falcons and finished with 21 tackles (nine solo) in 10 games. The 31-year-old will return to Chicago to provide the defensive line with some veteran depth on the interior. In eight NFL seasons with the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Falcons, Pennel has 176 tackles (99 solo), eight tackles for loss, 13 QB hits, two sacks, two passes defensed and one forced fumble in 101 games (16 starts).
The Chicago Bears signed free-agent defensive tackle Mike Pennel to an undisclosed one-year deal on Thursday, according to his agent, Andy Simms. Pennel served a two-game suspension to open last season with the Kansas City Chiefs, but he played in the other 14 games (one start) and recorded 29 tackles (13 solo) and one QB hit. The 30-year-old began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers and spent his first three seasons with them. He also spent two years with the New York Jets before joining the Chiefs in 2019. In 91 career games (16 starts), Pennel has 155 tackles (90 solo), 13 QB hits, two passes defensed, one forced fumble and two sacks. He will strictly serve as defensive line depth in Chicago if he makes the final roster out of training camp.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Mike Pennel has been suspended for the first two games of the 2020 season. Pennel violated the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The 29-year-old played in eight games for the Chiefs in 2019, racking up 24 combined tackles and one sack as defensive line depth. Pennel has just two sacks in six seasons in the NFL with the Chiefs, Packers and Jets. Kansas City's depth at nose tackle will be a little thinner to begin the regular season with Pennel suspended.
Mike Pennel
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Bears
