Cowboys ‘Must Target’ Super Bowl Champion Defender: Analyst

Getty The Dallas Cowboys could consider signing DT Mike Pennel.

The Dallas Cowboys could upgrade by signing former Super Bowl champion defensive tackle Mike Pennel.

As suggested by Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, the Cowboys could benefit from signing the 32-year-old Pennel. The veteran free agent has played for five different teams during his nine-year career, with his most notable stint taking place with the Kansas City Chiefs when he won the Super Bowl during the 2019 season.

Why the Cowboys Could Benefit From Signing Mike Pennel

The main reason why Knox is vouching for the signing of Pennel is the Cowboys’ well-documented struggles when defending the run. Despite being a playoff team last year, Dallas had one of the league’s worst-ranked defensive units last season, ranking 22nd in rushing yards allowed.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Cowboys ranked 26th in run defensive grade last season (45.7), the third-worst mark of any NFL team last season.

“The Cowboys have a fairly strong defensive tackle rotation with Osa Odighizuwa, Jonathan Hankins and Neville Gallimore leading the group,” writes Knox. “However, as last season showed, Dallas still struggled to control the line of scrimmage against the run far too often. That could be an issue again this season if Smith doesn’t defy expectations and make a quick transition to the NFL.”

Knox argues that Pennel is a consistent run-stopping defensive presence who rarely misses tackles. Furthermore, he’s racked up at least 21 tackles in the past six seasons.

“Pennel has never been a full-time starter, but he’s been a solid rotational player who can excel against the run,” writes Knox.”He played just 34 percent of the defensive snaps with the Chicago Bears last season, according to Pro Football Reference, but still recorded 26 tackles and 16 solo stops. He has not been credited with more than one missed tackle in any of the past five seasons, according to Pro Football Reference.”

Mike Pennel Has Been Consistent Rotational Defensive Tackle

Pennel has never been a full-time starter, but he has played at least 27% of his team’s defensive snaps since the 2017 season. He’s also played in a variety of systems and environments, having played for the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons and the Chicago Bears.

According to PFF, Pennel posted a ridiculously high 86.2 defensive grade and 86.0 run defensive grade with the Jets during the 2018 season. His defensive grade ranked 16th among all defensive tackles, while his run defensive grade ranked 12th among players at his position.

During his tenure with the Chiefs, Pennel posted a 72.2 defensive grade and 77.1 run defensive grade during the 2019 season, while missing just one tackle. During the 2020 season, Pennel posted a 68.5 defensive grade with a 69.8 run defensive grade while not missing a single tackle.

However, Pennel posted just a 45.8 defensive grade and 35.3 run defensive grade last season with the Bears — one of the worst run-defensive grades in the NFL.

Pennel has never played for higher than a $3.5 million annual salary and his most recent deal — with the Bears during the 2022 season — saw him earn less than $1.1 million for the season. In other words, the Cowboys could easily sign the career rotational defensive tackle at a bargain rate for the 2023 season.