Already set to be without Bashaud Breeland for four games, the Chiefs are also slated to begin their Super Bowl title defense without defensive tackle Mike Pennel.
The NFL suspended Pennel two games on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Pennel played in 11 Chiefs contests last season, including each of their three playoff games.
Kansas City re-signed Pennel to a one-year deal in March, doing so after the 330-pound interior defensive lineman played a key role in the team’s late-season defensive performance. Pennel played well as a run defender for the Chiefs, with Pro Football Focus giving him a top-20 grade in this area among interior D-linemen last season. Although Pennel only played 154 regular-season snaps, he saw action on 52 defensive plays in the playoffs.
This will be Pennel’s seventh NFL season. The Chiefs initially signed him in October 2019, doing so after the Patriots cut him during training camp. He helped turn the tide after Kansas City’s run defense delivered a historic futility stretch during the season’s first half.
Sam, any idea why he was suspended?
According to NBC Sports, he violated the league’s substance abuse policy
Actually I think it was the PED policy. I read his apology as indicating he ingested something without knowledge.
Unlike the Breeland suspension, this loss is very impactful. Pennel may not play a ton of snaps, but he was instrumental in transforming an atrocious run defense last season
Breeland is still a huge loss for the chiefs secondary