Kansas City Chiefs bring back run-stuffing defensive tackle for 3rd stint in KC
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs re-sign veteran defensive tackle Mike Pennel to 53-man roster.
- Pennel returns for third Chiefs stint after spells with Bengals and cuts.
- Club adds run-stuffing lineman amid Norman-Lott season-ending ACL injury.
Mike Pennel is back with the Chiefs.
The team officially brought back the veteran defensive tackle on Wednesday and added him to its 53-man roster, waiving defensive end Malik Herring.
Pennel, 34, is in his 12th season in the NFL. He practiced Wednesday with the Chiefs, who will play the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in Orchard Park, New York.
This will mark Pennel’s third different stint with the Chiefs. The first came in 2019 and 2020. He also was with the team in 2023 and 2024, but after training camp this year he was released.
He subsequently signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, who put him on their practice squad. Pennel was elevated to the Bengals’ 53-man roster for their opener and appeared in eight games, recording 15 tackles and one tackle for loss.
But he was released by the Bengals earlier this week.
The 6-4, 330-pound Pennel, who has been part of two Chiefs Super Bowl-championship teams, is considered a run-stuffing lineman. He fills a need for the Chiefs, who lost rookie tackle Omarr Norman-Lott with a season-ending torn ACL in their Week 7 win against the Las Vegas Raiders.
This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 2:03 PM.