The official word on the suspension of Kansas City Chiefs DT Mike Pennel came down from the league office today.
Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo let it slip early last week that Pennel was facing a suspension, but the team had no further comment on that until the suspension had been officially announced by the league. Now, according to a number of reports, Pennel has been suspended for the first two games to start the season.
He’ll miss games against the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers, returning to face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.
Chiefs DT Mike Pennel has been suspended for the first two games of the 2020 season, per source.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 25, 2020
This obviously isn’t a big shock, as the team made clear they were expecting this. There’s still no word on exactly why Pennel has been suspended, but the team will have to replace him for those first two games. Look for second-year DT Khalen Saunders to have a bigger role in the defensive line rotation as a result.
Pennel first joined the Chiefs as a free-agent halfway through the 2019 season. He quickly established himself as a prominent player on the defensive side of the ball. Pennel was crucial in the resurgent Chiefs run defense late in the season, recording 24 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack in eight appearances. He added another seven tackles and a pass batted during the postseason with Kansas City.
