The banged up Seattle Seahawks defense suffered another blow on Friday with the news that veteran defensive tackle Al Woods will be suspended four games by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs, according to a tweet from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Woods becomes the second Seahawks player this week to be suspended for drug use, following the indefinite suspension handed to receiver Josh Gordon on Monday.
While the Seahawks feel confident in their receiving corps even without Gordon, the same cannot be said for the team’s defensive line.
With Jadeveon Clowney and Ezekiel Ansah both nursing injuries, the Seahawks are thin on the defensive line heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Cardinals. Woods’ roster spot will almost certainly be used to add depth on the defensive line, with undrafted free agent Bryan Mone likely getting recalled from the practice squad.
Dekoda Watson, whom the Seahawks signed to take Gordon’s roster spot, is more of a rusher off the edge and likely won’t replace Woods as a run-stopper in the middle.
Woods had a strong season with the Seahawks, playing alongside Poona Ford and creating a formidable run-stopping tandem up front.
He recorded 32 combined tackles, including three for a loss, one quarterback hit and one sack on the season.
