Report: Cowboys ‘doing their homework’ on DTs including Chiefs free agent Mike Pennel

This is the first mention of the fan-favorite Kansas City Chiefs free agent, Mike Pennel, potentially signing with another team.

Several free agents from the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV team have seen a slow-developing market.

As we begin the second week of the NFL’s free agency period, we’ll start to hear more about some players that are still available. Today, we’ve seen our first mention of Chiefs free agent DT Mike Pennel, who is a player that Brett Veach expressed interest in retaining.

According to NFL Network reporter Jane Slater, the Cowboys are on the hunt for defensive tackle help. They’ve been “doing their homework” on several players at the position including Pennel and former Chiefs draft pick Dontari Poe.

While it sounds like they may ultimately go with Poe, this is the first time we’ve heard of any public interest in Pennel. It’ll be interesting to see how his market continues to develop through the remainder of free agency. Pennel was left unsigned for months in 2019 after being released by the New England Patriots in August. He didn’t join the Chiefs until halfway through the month of October.

Pennel is a native of Topeka, Kansas and grew up rooting for the Chiefs. He turned out to be a fantastic midseason add for Kansas City, who completely transformed a previously vapid run defense. At 6-4 and over 330 pounds, he helped cut the average rushing yards allowed per game for the Chiefs nearly in half from Week 13 onward. He quickly became a fan favorite and established himself as a leader in the locker room in Kansas City, bringing another energetic personality to the defensive front.

It may be discouraging to hear about interest in Pennel from the Cowboys, but it isn’t time to rule out a return to the Chiefs yet.

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