Steve Spagnuolo reveals Mike Pennel will serve suspension to begin season

In his appearance before the press following the team’s practice on Monday morning, Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo let it drop that defensive tackle Mike Pennel will serve an NFL suspension to start the season.

Spagnuolo didn’t reveal the reason for the suspension — or how long it will last.

Pennel was released by the Green Bay Packers after the 2016 season, after having served two four-game suspensions — one to begin the season, and another to end it. Both were for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. After two seasons with the New York Jets, Pennel came to the Chiefs last season, gaining an immediate reputation as a solid player against the run.

The Chiefs are expected to be without cornerback Bashaud Breeland for the beginning of the season. Breeland was already expected to get a four-game suspension to begin the 2020 season when he was arrested in South Carolina in April. The pending suspension was believed to be the reason Breeland had been unable to get a free-agent deal with another team, which gave the Chiefs a chance to bring him back on a relatively inexpensive one-year deal.

It is not known if his legal trouble in South Carolina will affect Breeland’s suspension; the final terms have not yet been announced.