Chiefs bring back Anthony Sherman, Mike Pennel on one-year deals, sources say
The Chiefs are bringing back two veterans from their Super Bowl-winning team.
The Chiefs agreed to terms on one-year deals with fullback Anthony Sherman and defensive tackle Mike Pennel, sources informed of the situation confirmed with The Star Tuesday night. Financial terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
Sherman has been a mainstay as a blocking force in the Chiefs’ backfield since joining the team in 2013 via a trade with the Arizona Cardinals. The 31-year-old Sherman is also a core special-teams contributor, leading the Chiefs in special-teams snaps (310) in 2019.
The 6-foot-4, 330-pound Pennel, who told The Star in February he “definitely” wanted to stay in Kansas City, joined the Chiefs in October 2019. He quickly established himself as part of their interior defensive line rotation. He appeared in eight regular-season games.
Pennel, a native of Topeka, totaled 24 tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit and two tackles for a loss on 154 defensive snaps. In the Chiefs’ three postseason games, he totaled seven tackles and a quarterback hit on 52 defensive snaps.
Pennel’s true value came outside the box score, though: His ability to disrupt the middle and draw blockers helped free up the Chiefs’ linebackers and safeties near the line of scrimmage.
The Chiefs have now brought back three of their own in free agency: Sherman, Pennel and quarterback Chad Henne. The team has also signed a trio of free agents: cornerback Antonio Hamilton, offensive lineman Mike Remmers and former XFL quarterback Jordan Ta’amu.
The NFL Network first reported Pennel’s return, while Yahoo Sports’ Terez Paylor first reported on Sherman’s.
This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 9:37 PM.
