The Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive line has suffered another setback.
Defensive end Josh Mauro has been suspended without pay for the first five games of the 2020 season for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing drugs, the league announced Friday.
Mauro will be allowed to return to the Jaguars roster on Oct. 12, following Jacksonville's Week 5 road tilt in Houston. Mauro remains eligible to participate in practice for the remainder of the preseason.
This is the second time Mauro has been suspended for PEDs.
On Mar. 23, 2018, Mauro was suspended four games for the same violation ahead of his first and only season with the New York Giants. Mauro spent the 2019 season with the Raiders before signing with the Jaguars as a free agent earlier this month.
Mauro's suspension adds to a list of issues for the Jaguars' defensive line ahead of the 2020 season. Star pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue has yet to sign his franchise-tag tender, Rodney Gunter announced his retirement after revealing a serious health condition, Aaron Lynch also hung up the pads for personal reasons, and Al Woods decided to opt-out of the 2020 season citing concerns for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
All this for a defensive unit who lost Calais Campbell via trade and saw the departure of Marcel Dareus via free agency this past offseason.
There remains a litany of questions for the Jags' D-line outside of second-year pass rusher Josh Allen. Cassius Marsh, Dawuane Smoot, Caraun Reid, and Adam Gostis round out the remaining defensive ends for Jacksonville as of today, and the opportunity for significant playing time is there for the taking.
