The Kansas City Chiefs turned plenty of heads when they announced the release of Mike Pennel. The veteran defensive tackle played in all regular-season and playoff games for the Chiefs in 2024, finishing finished the year with 25 tackles, three sacks and seven starts. This made him a presumed lock to make the 53-man roster.
That's why GM Brett Veach had to clear the air on this situation. Talking to the media, he explained the reasoning behind the decision to move on from the 34-year-old veteran, but also seemed to backtrack by making it clear the team's interested in a reunion.
#Chiefs GM Brett Veach speaks about moving on from Mike Pennel… 👇
— Chiefs Blitz (@ChiefsBlitz) August 28, 2025
“I think with every position group, we’re trying to get better, and we’re trying to add competition. I think that was one position group we were trying to continually get deeper, get younger, get more athletic.”…
“I think we’d always be open to a reunion. Mike’s a guy that, I mean, he’s a special human being, and we love Mike, and he’s one of those guys that I feel every time we’ve gotten him back in short spurts, it’s been the best he has. I mean, even at his age, he’s a juice guy, he’s an energy guy, we love him, so certainly keeping that door open as well. I think all options are open for us at that position," said Veach.
The Chiefs Wanted to Get Younger at DT
"“I think with every position group, we’re trying to get better, and we’re trying to add competition. I think that was one position group we were trying to continually get deeper, get younger, get more athletic.”"Brett Veach
Aiming to get better at every position completely aligns with Kansas City's approach to roster building. That being said, with Veach making it crystal-clear he'd welcome Pennel back with open arms, it's difficult to see how the team is better off without him, then.
The Chiefs parted ways with Pennel shortly after acquiring Derrick Nnadi, who's five years younger than him, from the New York Jets. As things stand now, the Chiefs have four defensive tackles on their roster: Chris Jones, Omarr Norman-Lott, Jerry Tillery, and the aforementioned Nnadi.
They also kept Marlon Tuipulotou, Cozziah Izzard around in the practice squad, and added Zacch Pickens and Broderick Martin after the roster cuts.
The Chiefs will enter this season with a huge chip on their shoulders and a lot to prove. They'll have to make tough decisions along the way, and while this may have been hard to believe at first, the front office has earned the benefit of the doubt with most of the moves they've made to keep this team as a perennial Super Bowl contender.
However, f they do decide to try and smooth things over with Pennel (who's clearly upset with the move), fans will be saying, "I told you so."