The NFL suspended New Orleans Saints defensive tackle David Onyemata one game for the 2019 season, as first reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN. Onyemata was arrested in back in late January following a raid on his New Orleans-area apartment, in which the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office cited him for marijuana possession. This was a violation of the NFL’s substances of abuse policy, resulting in a one-game suspension for Onyemata. It’s a potentially-costly misstep by Onyemata, who will be an unrestricted free agent next March.
A single-game suspension is not great, but not terrible, either. The Saints were already short their starting defensive tackle after Sheldon Rankins suffered an Achilles injury in the playoffs, so Onyemata was the next man up on the depth chart. With him sidelined for the season-opener against the Houston Texans, the Saints will turn to Mario Edwards Jr. Edwards, a journeyman free agent, was signed earlier this year after spending the 2018 season with the New York Giants.
So fans can expect to see No. 93 back in the rotation in Week 2, when the Saints travel to the West Coast for a big game against the Los Angeles Rams. He’s been hyped up this summer by outlets including Pro Football Focus, and the Saints will be counting on him to contribute once he returns. Because this is a regular season suspension, he will be allowed to practice with the team throughout training camp and participate in their preseason games.
