Tag: mike pennel

Twitter reacts to Bears releasing Jeremiah Attaochu, signing Mike Pennel

The Bears released Jeremiah Attaochu and signed Mike Pennel. Here’s how fans are reacting to the roster moves:

The Chicago Bears made a couple of roster moves ahead of mandatory minicamp, releasing defensive end Jeremiah Attaochu and signing nose tackle Mike Pennel.

Attaochu’s release doesn’t come as much of a surprise considering he wasn’t a good fit for Matt Eberflus’ scheme, despite raving about his fit in the system just five days earlier. Attaochu’s release frees up $2.45 million in salary cap space.

Meanwhile, Pennel is back for his second stint with Chicago. He signed with the Bears last June before landing on injured reserve and being cut in late August.

As expected, Bears fans aren’t really surprised by Attaochu’s release. Although Pennel’s return isn’t exactly a surprise either given his Kansas City connection to general manager Ryan Poles. But given the need for depth along the interior of the defensive line, it’s a move that makes sense.

Here’s how fans are reacting to Attaochu’s release and Pennel’s signing:

Bears release DE Jeremiah Attaochu, sign NT Mike Pennel

The Bears have parted ways with DE Jeremiah Attaochu and signed NT Mike Pennel, who returns for his second stint in Chicago.

The Chicago Bears have made a couple of roster moves ahead of mandatory minicamp, which begins Tuesday. The Bears have released edge rusher Jeremiah Attaochu and signed nose tackle Mike Pennel, the team announced Monday night.

Attaochu signed a two-year deal with Chicago last offseason. He appeared in just five games — totaling two tackles — before suffering a season-ending torn pectoral muscle in Week 5 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Pennel is back for his second stint with the Bears. He signed with the Bears last June before landing on injured reserve in August and was cut soon after.

The Bears interior defensive line depth has been a focus this offseason following the departures of key veterans Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman and Bilal Nichols. Pennel adds some additional depth to a group that includes Khyiris Tonga, Mario Edwards and Angelo Blackson.

Meanwhile, Chicago’s edge rushers are led by Robert Quinn, Trevis Gipson and Al-Quadin Muhammad. That gives players like Dominique Robinson, Sam Kamara and Charles Snowden an opportunity to earn a valuable roster spot.

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Bears roster bubble: Which players helped their cause in Week 1

Following the Bears’ preseason debut, here’s a look at which roster-bubble players helped their cause with a strong outing.

The Chicago Bears opened up the preseason with a 20-13 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Saturday, which featured the debut of rookie quarterback Justin Fields. While Fields is guaranteed to make the 53-man roster, there are plenty of players who are competing to make the cut.

With the first roster cuts set for Tuesday — where GM Ryan Pace will have to trim the roster from 90 to 85 — there were a handful of players who helped their chances of competing for a spot on the 53-man roster with strong preseason outings against the Dolphins.

Following Chicago’s preseason opener, here’s a look at which roster-bubble players helped their cause in Week 1.

Bears training camp: 1 player currently on the roster bubble at each position

Heading into the Bears’ first preseason game, here’s a look at one player who’s on the roster bubble at each position.

The Chicago Bears released their first unofficial depth chart ahead of Saturday’s preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins, where there were some surprises, and it gave us a look at how the 53-man roster could ultimately shake out.

There are a handful of players who are on the roster bubble, as indicated by the depth chart and how training camp has unfolded over the first couple of weeks.

Heading into the Bears’ first preseason game, here’s a look at one player who’s on the roster bubble at each position.

Bears 2021 training camp roster preview: Defensive line

It’s time to dive in and preview the Bears’ defensive linemen heading into training camp.

Chicago Bears training camp is less than a month away, which means it’s time to start looking ahead at the roster the team is bringing to Lake Forest.

We’ve covered the entire offense, looking at quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and offensive line. Now it’s time to turn our attention to the defensive side of the ball, beginning with the guys in the trenches; the defensive line.

This position group had some stellar play from its starters such as defensive ends Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols, while also getting production from a few key reserves like Mario Edwards Jr. But there was one noticeable absence throughout the entire season that created a figurative (and sometimes literal) hole in the middle of the line with nose tackle Eddie Goldman opting out of the season due to concerns surround the COVID-19 virus.

Will Goldman, Hicks, and Nichols be ready to go when camp arrives? Who might be this year’s unsung hero on the line? It’s time to dive in and preview the Bears’ defensive linemen heading into training camp.

The Bears are signing NT Mike Pennel to a one-year deal

The Bears have added depth at defensive tackle with the signing of NT Mike Pennel to a one-year contract.

The Chicago Bears have wrapped minicamp and have six weeks off before reporting to training camp on July 27. But before the break, they added more depth to the defensive line.

Chicago signed veteran nose tackle Mike Pennel to a one-year deal, according to his agent Andy Simms. Pennel was one of five free agents that attended Bears minicamp on a tryout basis. And Pennel left a big enough impression to garner a one-year contract.

Pennel, a former undrafted free agent out of Colorado State-Pueblo in 2012, spent the last two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. After serving a two-game suspension to open the 2020 season, Pennel played 14 games for the Chiefs, where he totaled 29 tackles.

Before his time in Kansas City, Pennel spent his first three seasons with the Green Bay Packers and two years with the New York Jets. In seven NFL seasons, Pennel has totaled 155 tackles, including eight tackles-for-loss, two sacks and 13 quarterback hits.

While nose tackle Eddie Goldman didn’t report for mandatory minicamp, he’s expected to be present for training camp in late July. But the addition of Pennel serves as good depth should anything happen.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid anticipates DT Mike Pennel’s return for Week 3

Andy Reid says there’s a “good chance” that Pennel will be ready to go for Week 3.

The Kansas City Chiefs should be getting some reinforcements along the defensive line for Week 3.

Defensive tackle Mike Pennel is eligible to return from his two-game suspension following “Monday Night Football” between the Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints. Chiefs HC Andy Reid anticipates that Pennel will be back and ready to play come the team’s Week 3 game on “Monday Night Football” against the Baltimore Ravens.

“Yeah, so there’s a chance he’s ready to go,” Reid told reporters on Monday. “I’ll let Veach do that part, but there’s a good chance that he’s up.”

A late addition to the roster in 2019, Pennel played a crucial role for the Chiefs’ defense down the stretch. He was the top run-stopping defensive lineman for Kansas City and helped bring their run defense to a respectable level. He finished the year with 31 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and a pass batted. He also had a crucial hurry in Super Bowl LIV that helped the team win the game.

Pennel should already have a roster spot waiting for him in his return to the action. Practice squad DT Braxton Hoyett will revert to the practice squad at 4:00 p.m. ET today. He was a standard elevation for Week 2 as part of the new practice squad rules.

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Chiefs DT Mike Pennel pens apology following two-game suspension

Pennel apologized to Chiefs Kingdom and provided some context for his suspension.

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The news came down this afternoon that Kansas City Chiefs DT Mike Pennel would be suspended for the first two games to start the season. We first heard about this suspension before when Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo let it slip during his media availability. Now we have official confirmation on how long Pennel will be out for.

We also now have some indication of why Pennel was suspended. Shortly after the news was announced, Pennel took to Twitter to issue an apology to the entire Chiefs organization, friends, family and Chiefs Kingdom.

“First and foremost, I want to apologize to my family, friends, teammates, coaches, the Chiefs organization and all of Chiefs Kingdom. Although I am completely unaware of how this occurred, I take full responsibility for what goes into my body and promise to be more vigilant moving forward. I am truly sorry and ask for your grace and forgiveness. I promise to return with a vengeance in our journey to RunItBack!” 

The apology seems to suggest that Pennel took something that contained, unbeknownst to him, a banned substance. Nonetheless, he’s taking responsibility for it and serving his two-game suspension.

Pennel is the second Chiefs player to receive a suspension ahead of the start of the 2020 season, joining CB Bashaud Breeland, who will miss the first four games of the season.

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Chiefs DT Mike Pennel officially suspended for two games

We now know the length of Pennel’s suspension, but still, no reason given.

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.

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.

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Chiefs DT Mike Pennel facing suspension to start season

Another key defender for the Chiefs is facing an early-season suspension.

The Kansas City Chiefs could be missing another key defensive piece to start the 2020 season.

Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo revealed during his Monday press conference that the team is expected to be without defensive tackle Mike Pennel at the start of the season due to a pending suspension.

“We’re going to lose Mike Pennel early in the season, I think, with a suspension,” Spagnuolo said.

There is some hope that Pennel could see his suspension eliminated or reduced during the appeals process. It’s not yet clear how many games Pennel is facing in his suspension. According to The Athletic’s Nate Taylor, the appeal process for Pennel is ongoing and underway.

Just like Chiefs CB Bashaud Breeland, Pennel is still allowed to practice and attend team meetings during training camp. Once his suspension goes into effect, he’ll only be allowed to attend team meetings, but he won’t be able to practice with the team.

Pennel joined the Chiefs as a midseason free-agent acquisition in 2019 but quickly established himself as a leader and prominent figure on the defense. He was instrumental in the Chiefs resurgence on run defense and made several key plays down the stretch and during the postseason, including a crucial pressure in Super Bowl LIV.

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