Mike PennelPennel with the Packers in 2015No. 69 – Cincinnati BengalsPositionNose tackleHigh schoolGrandview(Aurora, Colorado)CollegeScottsdale CC (2010–2011)Arizona State (2012)CSU Pueblo (2013)NFL draft2014: undraftedPersonal informationBorn (1991-05-09) May 9, 1991 (age 34)Topeka, Kansas, U.S.Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)Weight330 lb (150 kg)Career history Green Bay Packers (2014–2016) New York Jets (2017–2018) New England Patriots (2019)* Kansas City Chiefs (2019–2020) Chicago Bears (2021)* Atlanta Falcons (2021) Chicago Bears (2022) Kansas City Chiefs (2023–2024) Cincinnati Bengals (2025–present) Roster status: Active* Offseason and/or practice squad member only Awards and highlights 2× Super Bowl champion (LIV, LVIII) Career statistics as of Week 18, 2024Total tackles231Sacks5.0Forced fumbles3Fumble recoveries1Stats at Pro Football Reference
Michael Maurice Pennel Jr. (born May 9, 1991) is an American professional football nose tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Scottsdale Fighting Artichokes, the Arizona State Sun Devils and the CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2014, and has also played for the New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, and Chicago Bears.
College career[edit]Pennel played college football at Scottsdale Community College, Arizona State University and Colorado State University Pueblo. He was suspended indefinitely by Arizona State in 2012 for comments he made over Twitter and transferred to Colorado State University Pueblo.[1]
Professional career[edit] Pre-draft measurables Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press 6 ft 4+1⁄4 in(1.94 m) 332 lb(151 kg) 33+3⁄8 in(0.85 m) 9+7⁄8 in(0.25 m) 5.23 s 1.82 s 3.03 s 4.84 s 7.94 s 28.5 in(0.72 m) 8 ft 8 in(2.64 m) 23 reps All values are from NFL Combine/Pro Day[2][3] Green Bay Packers[edit]After going unselected in the 2014 NFL draft, Pennel signed with the Green Bay Packers on May 12, 2014.[4] Pennel joined Jayrone Elliott as undrafted players to make the Packers' roster. During his rookie season in 2014, Pennel made 13 game appearances with 8 tackles.
In 2015, Pennel appeared in all 16 games with 5 starts, recording 24 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble.[5]
On February 19, 2016, Pennel was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season due to violating the league's substance abuse policy.[6] Pennel was then suspended for the final four games of the season for again violating the league's substance abuse policy.[7] In the 2016 season, Pennel finished with seven tackles and a pass defended.[8]
On January 9, 2017, Pennel was released by the Packers.[9]
New York Jets[edit]On February 6, 2017, Pennel was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets.[10] He re-signed with the Jets on March 16.[11] He played in all 16 games in 2017, recording a career-high 35 tackles.
On March 16, 2018, Pennel signed a three-year contract with the Jets.[12]
On February 19, 2019, the Jets declined the option on Pennel's contract, making him a free agent at the start of the new league year.[13]
New England Patriots[edit]On March 14, 2019, Pennel signed a two-year contract with the New England Patriots.[14] On August 26, Pennel was released by the Patriots.[15]
Kansas City Chiefs (first stint)[edit]On October 19, 2019, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Pennel.[16]
On January 19, 2020, Pennel helped the Chiefs defeat the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game.[17] In Super Bowl LIV, Pennel recorded one tackle in the Chiefs' 31–20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.[18]
On April 6, 2020, Pennel was re-signed to a one-year contract.[19] On August 25, he was suspended for the first two games of the 2020 season.[20] On September 23, he was reinstated from suspension and activated to the roster.[21]
Chicago Bears (first stint)[edit]On June 18, 2021, Pennel signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears.[22] On August 24, he was placed on injured reserve and released from the Bears on August 31.[23]
Atlanta Falcons[edit]On September 15, 2021, Pennel was signed to the practice squad of the Atlanta Falcons.[24] On October 5, Pennel was promoted to the Falcons' active roster after cornerback Isaiah Oliver suffered a knee injury in Week 4 against the Washington Football Team.[25]
Chicago Bears (second stint)[edit]On June 13, 2022, Pennel signed with the Bears.[26] He was released on September 9 from the 53-man roster, and re-signed to the practice squad the following day.[27][28] Dieter Eiselen was promoted to the active roster in his place. On September 12, in a flurry of moves, Pennel was promoted to the active roster.[29] In Week 6 against the Patriots, he was ejected for delivering a blind-sided block that concussed center Did Andrews.[30] Pennel appeared in all 17 games for the Bears, where he recorded 26 total tackles and one forced fumble.
Kansas City Chiefs (second stint)[edit]On October 24, 2023, Pennel was signed to the Chiefs' practice squad.[31] Pennel helped the Chiefs reach Super Bowl LVIII, where they defeated the 49ers 25–22 which ge Pennel his second Super Bowl ring.[32] Pennel had six tackles in the game and was instrumental in limiting the effectiveness of the 49ers' running game in the second half.[33]
On March 13, 2024, Pennel re-signed with the Chiefs.[34]
On March 24, 2025, Pennel re-signed with the Chiefs on a one-year contract.[35] On August 26, he was released as part of final roster cuts.[36]
Cincinnati Bengals[edit]On September 1, 2025, Pennel was signed to the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad.[37] He was elevated to the active roster for Week 1, and signed to the active roster on September 9.[38]
NFL career statistics[edit] Legend Won the Super Bowl Bold Career high Regular season[edit] Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR 2014 GB 13 0 8 7 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2015 GB 16 5 25 16 9 1.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 2016 GB 8 0 7 5 2 0.0 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2017 NYJ 16 3 35 20 15 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2018 NYJ 16 7 27 16 11 0.0 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2019 KC 8 0 24 13 11 1.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2020 KC 14 1 29 13 16 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2021 ATL 10 0 21 9 12 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2022 CHI 17 2 26 16 10 0.0 0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 1 2023 KC 3 0 4 2 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2024 KC 17 7 25 10 15 3.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 Career 138 25 231 127 104 5.0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 Postseason[edit] Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR 2014 GB 2 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2015 GB 2 0 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2019 KC 3 2 7 2 5 0.0 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2020 KC 3 0 1 0 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2023 KC 4 3 12 7 5 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2024 KC 1 0 1 0 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Career 15 5 24 10 14 0.0 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 References[edit] ^ Haller, Doug (October 3, 2012). "ASU's Mike Pennel suspended indefinitely". azcentral.com. Retrieved March 20, 2021. ^ "Mike Pennel Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024. ^ "Mike Pennel – Colorado State-Pueblo, DT : 2014 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016. ^ "Packers announce roster moves". Packers.com. May 12, 2014. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016. ^ "Mike Pennel 2015 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 20, 2021. ^ Ortega, Mark (February 19, 2016). "Packers' Mike Pennel suspended four games". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016. ^ Demovsky, Rob (December 6, 2016). "Mike Pennel suspended 4 games, his 2nd suspension of 2016". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 9, 2017. ^ "Mike Pennel 2016 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 20, 2021. ^ "Packers release DT Mike Pennel". Packers.com. January 9, 2017. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (February 7, 2017). "Jets Claim DL Mike Pennel". NewYorkJets.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017. ^ Alper, Josh (March 16, 2017). "Jets sign Mike Pennel". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com. Retrieved March 20, 2021. ^ Alper, Josh (March 16, 2018). "Jets re-sign Mike Pennel". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com. Retrieved March 20, 2021. ^ Allen, Eric (February 19, 2019). "Jets Decline Options on LB Pierre-Louis, DT Pennel and S Brooks". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved March 20, 2021. ^ Hart, Andy (March 14, 2019). "Reports: Patriots sign DL Mike Pennel, TE Matt LaCosse and WR Maurice Harris". Patriots.com. Retrieved March 14, 2019. ^ "Patriots Release DL Mike Pennel Jr". Patriots.com. August 26, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2021. ^ Goldman, Charles (October 19, 2019). "Report: Chiefs to sign DT Mike Pennel, release DT Terrell McClain". ChiefsWire.USAToday.com. USA Today. Retrieved October 20, 2019. ^ "AFC Championship – Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs – January 19th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 20, 2021. ^ "Super Bowl LIV – San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs – February 2nd, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 20, 2021. ^ Crabtree, Curtis (March 25, 2020). "Mike Pennel re-signing with Chiefs on one-year deal". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved March 20, 2021. ^ Teicher, Adam (August 25, 2020). "Chiefs DL Mike Pennel suspended for first two games". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 26, 2020. ^ "Chiefs' Mike Pennel: Back with team". CBSSports.com. September 23, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020. ^ Mayer, Larry (June 18, 2021). "Roster Moves: Bears sign three free agents". Chicago Bears. Retrieved June 18, 2021. ^ Mayer, Larry (August 24, 2021). "Roster Moves: Bears reach mandatory 80-man limit". ChicagoBears.com. ^ "Falcons make roster moves on practice squad". AtlantaFalcons.com. September 15, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2024. ^ Bair, Scott (October 5, 2021). "Isaiah Oliver headed to injured reserve with knee injury". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved February 16, 2024. ^ Mayer, Larry (June 13, 2022). "Roster Moves: Bears sign Pennel, release Attaochu". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022. ^ Alper, Josh (September 9, 2022). "Bears release Mike Pennel". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 9, 2025. ^ "Roster Moves: Bears flex Pennel, Eiselen to active roster". www.chicagobears.com. Retrieved September 1, 2025. ^ Wiltfong Jr., Lester A. (September 12, 2022). "Bears make roster moves, Thomas Graham Jr. signs with Cleveland". Windy City Gridiron. Retrieved February 16, 2024. ^ "Matthew Slater calls Mike Pennel's hit on Did Andrews an "extremely dirty play"". CBS Boston. October 26, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2023. ^ Dillon, John (October 24, 2023). "Chiefs sign DL Mike Pennel to practice squad". Chiefs Wire. USA Today. Retrieved February 14, 2024. ^ Maaddi, Rob (February 12, 2024). "Patrick Mahomes rallies the Chiefs to second straight Super Bowl title, 25–22 over the 49ers in overtime". AP News. Retrieved February 14, 2024. ^ "Super Bowl LVIII - San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 11th, 2024". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 16, 2024. ^ Dixon, John (March 13, 2024). "Chiefs re-sign defensive tackle Mike Pennel". Arrowhead Pride. SB Nation. Retrieved October 10, 2024. ^ McMullen, Matt (March 24, 2025). "Chiefs Re-Sign DT Mike Pennel". chiefs.com. Retrieved March 24, 2025. ^ "Chiefs Announce Roster Moves Heading Into 2025 NFL Season". chiefs.com. Retrieved August 29, 2025. ^ "Bengals Sign DT Mike Pennel to Practice Squad". Bengals.com. September 1, 2025. Retrieved September 1, 2025. ^ "Bengals Make Multiple Roster Moves Ahead of Week 2". Bengals.com. September 9, 2025. External links[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mike Pennel. Cincinnati Bengals bio CSU–Pueblo ThunderWolves bio Archived October 2, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Arizona State Sun Devils bio Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · CBS Sports · Yahoo Sports · Pro Football Reference Never Was a Plan B Archived March 8, 2022, at the Wayback Machine vteKansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LIV champions 1 Jody Fortson 2 Dustin Colquitt 4 Chad Henne 7 Harrison Butker 8 Matt Moore 9 Kyle Shurmur 10 Tyreek Hill 11 Demarcus Robinson 12 Gehrig Dieter 13 Byron Pringle 14 Sammy Watkins 15 Patrick Mahomes (MVP) 17 Mecole Hardman 19 Marcus Kemp 20 Morris Claiborne 21 Bashaud Breeland 22 Juan Thornhill 23 Armani Watts 24 Jordan Lucas 25 LeSean McCoy 26 Damien Williams 27 Rashad Fenton 29 Kendall Fuller 30 Alex Brown 30 Elijah McGuire 31 Darrel Williams 32 Tyrann Mathieu 34 Darwin Thompson 35 Charvarius Ward 38 Chris Lammons 39 Spencer Ware 40 John Lovett 41 James Winchester 42 Anthony Sherman 43 Emmanuel Smith 44 Dorian O'Daniel 45 Mike Weber 48 Nick Keizer 49 Daniel Sorensen 50 Darron Lee 52 Demone Harris 53 Anthony Hitchens 54 Damien Wilson 55 Frank Clark 56 Ben Niemann 57 Breeland Speaks 59 Reggie Ragland 60 Ryan Hunter 61 Stefen Wisniewski 62 Austin Reiter 64 Mike Pennel 68 Jackson Barton 70 Greg Senat 71 Mitchell Schwartz 72 Eric Fisher 73 Nick Allegretti 74 Martinas Rankin 75 Cameron Erving 76 Laurent Duvernay-Tardif 77 Andrew Wylie 79 Tim Ward 81 Blake Bell 82 Deon Yelder 87 Tris Kelce 90 Emmanuel Ogbah 91 Derrick Nnadi 92 Tanoh Kpassagnon 94 Terrell Suggs 95 Chris Jones 96 Braxton Hoyett 97 Alex Okafor 98 Xier Williams 99 Khalen Saunders -- Devaroe Lawrence -- Keith Reaser Head coach: Andy Reid Coaches: Eric Bieniemy Joe Bleymaier Mike Borgonzi Brendan Daly Willie Dis Connor Embree Did Girardi Andy Heck Matt House Mike Kafka Greg Lewis Sam Madison Deland McCullough Tom Melvin De Merritt Barry Rubin Steve Spagnuolo De Toub Rod Wilson Britt Reid vteKansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII champions 1 Jerick McKinnon 2 Joshua Williams 4 Rashee Rice 5 Tommy Townsend 6 Bryan Cook 7 Harrison Butker 8 Justyn Ross 9 Blaine Gabbert 10 Isiah Pacheco 11 Marquez Valdes-Scantling 12 Mecole Hardman 12 Montrell Washington 13 Chris Oladokun 14 Cornell Powell 15 Patrick Mahomes (MVP) 17 Richie James 19 Kadarius Toney 20 Justin Reid 21 Mike Edwards 22 Trent McDuffie 23 Drue Tranquill 24 Skyy Moore 25 Clyde Edwards-Helaire 26 Deon Bush 27 Chamarri Conner 29 La'Mical Perine 30 Keaontay Ingram 31 Nic Jones 32 Nick Bolton 34 Deneric Prince 35 Jaylen Watson 38 L'Jarius Sneed 39 Keith Taylor 40 Ekow Boye-Doe 41 James Winchester 42 Trey Dean 43 Jack Cochrane 44 Cam Jones 48 Cole Christiansen 49 Matt Bushman 50 Willie Gay 51 Mike Danna 52 Creed Humphrey 53 B. J. Thompson 54 Leo Chenal 56 George Karlaftis 57 Truman Jones 59 Darius Harris 61 Austin Reiter 62 Joe Thuney 64 Wanya Morris 65 Trey Smith 66 Mike Caliendo 69 Mike Pennel 72 Jason Godrick 73 Nick Allegretti 74 Jawaan Taylor 75 Darian Kinnard 76 Prince Tega Wanogho 77 Lucas Niang 79 Donovan Smith 81 Blake Bell 82 Gerrit Prince 83 Noah Gray 84 Justin Watson 85 Izaiah Gathings 87 Tris Kelce 88 Jody Fortson 90 Charles Omenihu 91 Derrick Nnadi 92 Neil Farrell 93 Matt Dickerson 94 Malik Herring 95 Chris Jones 96 Isaiah Buggs 97 Felix Anudike-Uzomah 98 Tershawn Wharton -- Nazeeh Johnson -- Nikko Remigio Head coach: Andy Reid Coaches: Joe Bleymaier Joe Cullen Brendan Daly Willie Dis Connor Embree Did Girardi Andy Heck Tom Melvin De Merritt Donald D'Alesio Matt Nagy Todd Pinkston Ken Flajole Steve Spagnuolo De Toub Rod Wilson vteCincinnati Bengals rosterActive 1 Ja'Marr Chase 2 Evan McPherson 5 Tee Higgins 6 Jake Browning 8 Ryan Rehkow 9 Joe Burrow 15 Charlie Jones 20 DJ Turner 22 Geno Stone 23 Daxton Hill 24 Marco Wilson 25 Tahj Brooks 26 Tycen Anderson 27 Jordan Battle 28 Josh Newton 29 Cam Taylor-Britt 30 Chase Brown 34 Samaje Perine 37 P. J. Jules 38 D. J. Ivey 42 Oren Burks 44 Demetrius Knight 46 William Wagner 49 Barrett Carter 50 Shaka Heyward 55 Logan Wilson 58 Joseph Ossai 61 Cody Ford 63 Dylan Fairchild 64 Ted Karras 65 Matt Lee 69 Mike Pennel 71 Amarius Mims 74 Jalen Rivers 75 Orlando Brown Jr. 80 Andrei Iosivas 81 Jermaine Burton 82 Mitchell Tinsley 85 Cam Grandy 86 Noah Fant 87 Tanner Hudson 88 Mike Gesicki 89 Drew Sample 90 Kris Jenkins 91 Trey Hendrickson 92 B. J. Hill 93 McKinnley Jackson 94 Eric Gregory 95 Howard Cross III 96 Cameron Sample 97 Shemar Stewart 98 Tedarrell Slaton 99 Myles Murphy Practice squad 11 Brett Rypien 14 Jordan Moore 18 Isaiah Williams 21 Bralyn Lux 32 Gary Brightwell 35 Jalen Dis 36 Kendall Milton 39 Russ Yeast 45 Maema Njongmeta 51 Isaiah Foskey 53 Joe Giles-Harris 56 Myles Cole 60 Jaxson Kirkland 68 Seth McLaughlin 73 Jon Foster 79 Andrew Coker Reserve 33 Daijahn Anthony (IR) 52 Cedric Johnson (IR) 62 Lucas Patrick (IR) 67 Cordell Volson (IR) 83 Erick All (PUP)