The Kansas City Chiefs have recently made a shrewd move by re-signing veteran defensive lineman Mike Pennel. While many teams seem poised to make a big splash in free agency the Chiefs took a different appraoch. This seemingly simple acquisition is a masterclass in the Chiefs’ philosophy: keeping things simple and effective to address immediate roster needs, which helps solidify their status as a Super Bowl favorite.
The move was prompted by an injury to promising rookie defensive lineman Omar Norman-Lott, which created a need for interior run support. The Chiefs quickly addressed this by bringing back Pennel, a familiar face who had previously played for the team and was recently released by the Cincinnati Bengals.
The strength of the Chiefs’ approach lies in their ability to pinpoint a need and fill it with a player who excels at a specific task, in this case, stopping the run. The data confirms this necessity and Pennel’s value.
First that’s take at look at the Chiefs’s run defense prior to this addition. The below graphic indicates where the Chiefs defensive line is winning (green arrows) and losing (red arrows) on an Expected Points Added (EPA) per rush basis . It’s safe to say that the two green arrows are due to Chris Jones. It’s also safe to say that the Chiefs definitely need more consistency defending the run.
That’s where Pennel comes in. The below graphic shows the Bengals run defense up to this point in the season (with Pennel on the roster). You’ll notice that both A gaps (between the Center and each of the guards) has an EPA per rush right around 0. That is the consistency the Chiefs need stopping the run.
It’s also important to note that Pennel has had a big impact on this Kansas City defense in the past. For example, as the below graphic shows (courtesy of TruMedia), the Chiefs run defense on a per carry basis got worse going from 2020 (4.5 YPC allowed) to 2021 (4.8 YPC allowed). The 2020 Chiefs had Pennel, the 2021 iteration did not.
How about with Pennel’s second stint? Well last year (as the below graphic shows) the Chiefs (with Pennel) surrendered a YPC of 4.1. This year (so far, without Pennel) that number ballooned up to 4.4.
The data clearly indicates that Pennel had a profound impact on the Chiefs in the past and is highly likely to provide a huge role in the Kansas City run defense going forward.
This acquisition demonstrates the team’s core strategy: while other NFL teams often overthink their roster moves and try to get too clever with schemes or packages, the Chiefs maintain a simple and smart philosophy. They identify the optimal player for the exact role and integrate him without missing a beat, relying on the genius of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes to elevate everyone else.
This consistent, simplified excellence is why the Chiefs are considered one of the best teams in the league, with an 85% chance to make the playoffs and a 15% chance to win the Super Bowl, the highest margin among all teams.
Disclaimer: The content of this article was originally published as a YouTube video on the Saturday Morning Inspection YouTube channel. With AI assistance, the publisher of the video created this article based on the content of that video.
