Mike Pennel has positive impact in return to Chiefs

Mike Pennel had a positive impact in his return to the Kansas City Chiefs.

After the solid performance given on the field by Mike Pennel in his first half season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019, fans were excited for his return in 2020. After waiting a couple weeks, Pennel finally made his season debut in Week 3 and the results were good as advertised.

Pennel looked good making his familiar round of rotational reps for the Chiefs defensive line. Against perhaps the most talented roster the Chiefs will face in 2020, Pennel helped a defense stand strong against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in what ended up as a dominating road win by a final score of 34-20.

Earlier this week, his position coach Brendan Daly took to the podium to answer questions for reporters and he spoke about the success of Pennel’s return. Specifically, Daly said he not only aided the defense in terms of performance and production but he also brought a mental energy with him that helped in the week’s preparation.

"“Mike did a nice job for us. He came back through the course of the week,” said Daly. “I was really impressed with how he handled the time off. Physically, he was in good shape. He brought a lot of energy to practice. It was great to have him out there. I thought that carried over into the game on the sideline. He was very engaged, he was dialed in. He gave us something from an attitude standpoint.”"

Pennel missed the first two games of the season due to a suspension levied by the NFL this offseason. As for his performance upon his return, Daly said Pennel did “a really nice job.” His comments to reporters:

"“I thought he did a really nice job, particularly in the downhill run game, playing the double teams that Baltimore gave us. He’ll continue to develop and increase his role. Some of the flat zone schemes, I think he’d tell you there’s a couple of those he could play a little bit better. But I was really pleased with what we got out of him, and I think he’s going to continue to contribute in a positive way for us.”"

The Chiefs re-signed Pennel to a one-year deal this spring worth up to $1.047 million.