According to a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, former Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Mike Pennel has been signed to the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad.
Pennel, 34, was a surprise release during the team’s final roster cutdown on Tuesday. It was initially assumed that this was the first move in a maneuver that would put another player on the practice squad after the initial 53-man roster had been set — but speaking to reporters on Thursday, general manager Brett Veach put a different spin on it.
“I think with every position group, we’re trying to get better, and we’re trying to add competition,” he said, per Chiefs Digest. “I think that was one position group we were trying to continually get deeper, get younger, get more athletic.”
Toward that end, Veach revealed that the team had been in negotiations with the Cleveland Browns to acquire defensive tackle Jowon Briggs, who was ultimately traded to the New York Jets. So the Chiefs traded with the Jets to re-acquire 29-year-old defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi. That led to Pennel’s release.
“I think when it came to Derrick, [it was] probably [a] similar level of play [to] what we’ve seen [from Pennel] — but both those guys have, over the years, played and helped us out in games,” explained Veach. “But I do think you take in [the] consideration [of] just the length of the season.”
This appeared to suggest that Kansas City was concerned Pennel might no longer be able to handle a full season with the Chiefs. It seems likely that in such a situation, the team would have wanted to put Pennel on its practice squad. Social media posts that some have interpreted to mean Pennel is angry with the team could indicate that he refused an offer to be on the Chiefs’ practice squad — but if that were the case, why would the Topeka native then accept an offer to be on the Cincinnati practice squad? Being signed to the Chiefs’ practice squad is exactly how he returned to Kansas City two years ago.
On Thursday, Veach indicated the team would welcome Pennel back in the right circumstances.
“I think we’d always be open to that for sure,” said Veach. “Mike’s a guy that, I mean, he’s a special human being — and we love Mike. He’s one of those guys that I feel every time we’ve gotten him back in short spurts, it’s been the best he has.
“I mean, even at his age, he’s a juice guy [and] he’s an energy guy. We love him, so [we’re] certainly keeping that door open as well. I think all options are open for us at that position.”
Pennel’s signing with the Bengals doesn’t necessarily close the door on a return to Kansas City. As long as he hasn’t been activated to the Cincinnati roster, the Chiefs could poach him at any time. And let’s not forget: the defensive tackle had been on two other NFL teams before he returned to Kansas City in 2023.
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