“I can’t even put into words how I felt when I got the call from Coach LaFleur. Coming back to Green Bay makes me truly happy — to put on the Green & Gold, the colors that have lifted multiple Lombardi Trophies. Being listed as a Week 1 starter on the initial depth chart surprised me, but I’ll be ready and play my heart out for this jersey,” Mike Pennel said.

After a brief free-agency stint elsewhere, Pennel — an undrafted nose tackle who began his NFL career with the Packers — was acquired in a low-cost late-round pick swap that brings a system-fit run anchor back to Lambeau. The reunion hands Green Bay a ready-made interior piece who already understands the scheme, minimizing the playbook ramp-up ahead of Week 1.

The team’s first depth chart lists Pennel alongside Devonte Wyatt as the starting defensive tackles, with T.J. Slaton and Karl Brooks on the second line. The roles are clear: Pennel profiles as a 1-tech/shade run stopper who preserves gap integrity for the linebackers, while Wyatt works primarily at 3-tech to generate interior disruption. On third-and-long, Brooks and Slaton could see an uptick in snaps to juice the pass rush.

Before the move back, Pennel admitted the call caught him off guard mid-routine — and the biggest hassle was simply having to move again. Even so, he emphasized that everything “worked out the right way,” returning to the place where his NFL journey started and bringing with him two Super Bowl rings earned during his years away.

Pennel’s Green Bay homecoming is about more than depth: it’s a cultural fit. With a familiar voice in the room and a proven early-down anchor on the field, the Packers expect the interior to clamp down on the run and set the table for heavier pressure packages off the edge — Green & Gold business from the very first snap.