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The Dallas Cowboys are fairly used to having defensive players suspended to begin an NFL season, unfortunately it is something that they have dealt with very often at the beginning of seasons. As fate would have it, they are going down that road once again. We are nearing the 2021 NFL Draft, but that hardly means that NFL news stops trickling in. The league tends to decide things on its own time and whenever it does is when teams have to react.
It was reported on Tuesday that Cowboys cornerback Rashard Robinson (note, not Reggie Robinson II) is being suspended for the first two games of the 2021 season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Cowboys CB Rashard Robinson eligible to participate in training camp and four-game preseason. Can rejoin team once completing two-game suspension without pay.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) April 20, 2021
Robinson first joined practice squad early last season. Appeared in four games, including three starts. https://t.co/vvWReGg3PF
Robinson is the latest Cowboys defender to begin a season suspended. The team did not technically have a defensive player suspended to began last year’s campaign, Randy Gregory merely had to sit out games as part of the conditions for his reinstatement.
Even if you do consider 2020 to be the outlier the Cowboys have had at least one defensive player suspended to begin a season in what is now seven of the last eight years:
- 2014: Orlando Scandrick
- 2015: Greg Hardy, Rolando McClain
- 2016: DeMarcus Lawrence
- 2017: David Irving
- 2018: David Irving
- 2019: Robert Quinn
- 2021: Rashard Robinson
Robinson appeared in four games for the Cowboys and this actually marks his second suspension during his time in the NFL. He is hardly expected to be a significant contributor to the team this season, but as a part of the team this falls on the Cowboys as a whole.