HOUSTON — Texans defensive tackle Mario Edwards Jr. has been suspended by the NFL for four games for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
Edwards will be able to return on Nov. 11, after the Texans take on the Lions in Week 10. Edwards, 30, has started all six games for the Texans this season. He has 18 tackles and two sacks.
Edwards' suspension will leave a hole on the Texans' defensive line, but also this week, defensive lineman Denico Autry will return. Autry, who signed with the Texans after spending the last three seasons with the Tennessee Titans, was suspended by the NFL for the first six games of the season for violating the league’s policy against performance-enhancing drugs.
Autry is expected to bolster a defensive line that already features the reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Will Anderson Jr.
Autrey is in his 11th season in the NFL. The Mississippi State product entered the league with the Raiders and played four seasons before three seasons in Indianapolis and the last three with Tennessee.
After his suspension was announced, Autry released a statement saying, “It was important to me that the NFL know that I did not intentionally or even knowingly ingest a banned substance.”
