Remember when then-top Nebraska pass rusher Randy Gregory fell all the way to the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft because he failed a drug test at the rookie scouting combine, leading teams to unearth issues Gregory had with drugs and overall mental health? Pepperidge Farm remembers. So too does the Cowboys front office. And they're probably kicking themselves right now because Gregory has been suspended four games of the 2016 NFL season for violating the league's policy on substance abuse.
As Pro Football Talk notes, Gregory can still participate in offseason work and the preseason, but will have to leave the team for the first four games. It's a tough blow for a Cowboys franchise most expect not to re-sign Greg Hardy and suddenly looking at a defensive end depth chart that is incredibly thin.
The NFL Friday bad news dump didn't just hit Dallas though - the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens both had players suspended as well. Packers defensive tackle Mike Pennel was suspended the first four games of 2016 for violating the substance abuse policy, while Ravens tight end Nick Boyle was slapped with a 10-game ban for the use of performance enhancing drugs.
Pennel played well for the Packers last season, but as with Gregory, his issues from college - he was suspended more than once while at Arizona State - seem to have followed him. As for Boyle, this is the second PED-related punishment he's facing since entering the league. He was suspended for the final four games of 2015 for PEDs as well.
