Bears sign Mike Pennel, release Jeremiah Attaochu

On Monday the Chicago Bears signed veteran defensive tackle Mike Pennel and released outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu.

The 31-year old Pennel (6’4”, 332 pounds) has played for six different teams during his eight year career, including a brief stint with the Bears in the 2021 offseason. He went on injured reserve before that season started and was released shortly thereafter. The former undrafted free agent has played in 101 games with 16 starts, and he’s racked up 176 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 13 QB hits during his time in the league. Last year he played in 10 games for the Falcons (272 total snaps) with 21 tackles.

Attaochu has mostly played as an outside linebacker in a 30 front, so with the Bears now in a 4-3 this shouldn’t come as a surprise. They’ll save $2.45 million with the move, but thanks to two void years the Bears may incur some dead cap hits through the 2024 season.