Mike Pennel has been suspended for the first two games of the Chiefs season.
Defensive tackle Mike Pennel has been officially suspended for the first two games of the Kansas City Chiefs regular season, after rumors emerged recently that some level of a punishment was coming in recent weeks.
A reason has still not been provided as of press time, but Pennel already issued an apology via Twitter.
Pennel emerged as an important run-stopping force for the Chiefs along the defensive front and was a key element in the team’s defensive turnaround at midseason. He averaged slightly less than 20 snaps per game as a dependable rotational lineman who helped fill in the gaps where other younger players weren’t quite ready to contribute.
This offseason, the Chiefs focused on bringing back as much of the cast as possible from the roster that won the team’s first Super Bowl in 50 seasons, which included re-signing Pennel to a one-year deal to retain him in K.C.
In the wake of Pennel’s absence, which will come in the season-opening game against the Houston Texans and the Chiefs Week 2 contest on the road against their AFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers, those same young players will now have to step up. Expect to see Khalen Saunders handling a lot more snaps from the outset in his second season with the team after being taken in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Braxton Hoyett is also available.
Pennel, who is 29-years-old, had 24 total tackles, 2 quarterback hits and 1 sack for the Chiefs last season.