With training camp just a week away, the NFL suspensions keep on coming.
Hours after Chiefs cornerback Sean Smithreceived a three-game ban, Denver Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe was hit with a four-game suspension for a violation of the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, the league announced Friday.
"During the offseason I took a medication which is on the banned substance list," Wolfe said in the statement released by the team. "The medication is not a substance which would enhance my on-field performance in any way and I genuinely was unaware that it was prohibited, but players are responsible for what is in their bodies.
"I will certainly exercise far greater caution in the future and will seek advice relating to the permissibility of any and all medications."
Wolfe accounted for 1.5 sacks last season along with a respectable 23 quarterback hurries. His strength is stopping the run, with only Seattle's Michael Bennett grading out higher in that category among 4-3 ends in 2014, per Pro Football Focus.
Wolfe's absence puts immediate pressure on Malik Jackson and Vance Walker to anchor a line that also includes veterans Antonio Smith and Gerald Rivers and rookies Darius Kilgo, Josh Watson and Chuka Ndulue.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast features the triumphant return of Dan Hanzus and discusses the biggest mysteries heading into training camp.
