A former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle has found a new home in the NFL. Veteran DT Mike Pennel has landed on the practice squad of the Cincinnati Bengals, just ahead of Week 1 of the 2025 NFL regular season.
The Bengals announced their move on Pennel via a post on their official website.
Ex-Packers player with two Super Bowls lands with a contender
The 34-year-old Pennel recently received unfortunate news, as he was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs, the team he won two Super Bowls with. He had two separate stints with Kansas City. Pennel first suited up for the Chiefs for two seasons, from 2019 to 2020. He came back to Kansas City in 2023. Pennel, however, was released by the Chiefs following their acquisition of Derrick Nnadi via a trade with the New York Jets.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach initially said that the door was open for a possible reunion with Pennel, but it doesn’t seem it will come into fruition in the near future, with the Bengals scooping up the vet.
“I think we’d always be open to that for sure,” Veach said, per Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest. “Mike’s a guy that, I mean, he’s a special human being, and we love Mike, and 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, he’s an energy guy, we love him, so certainly keeping that door open as well. I think all options are open for us at that position.”
Pennel did not hear his name called in the 2014 NFL draft, but somehow carved out a career that has lasted over 10 years in the pros. The Packers signed him in 2014 and played for three seasons in Green Bay. During that time, Pennel played in 37 games (five starts) and produced a sack, 40 combined tackle and seven quarterback hits.
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