Cowboys just got handed their 16th suspension in 4 seasons

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Damontre Moore was suspended two games Friday for violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Considering Moore is on his fifth NFL roster since 2015 and has 10 career sacks, it’s far from a back-breaking punishment for Dallas.

It’s also not much of a surprise to the Cowboys, who signed the defensive end despite knowledge that punishment could be on the way after he was arrested and charged with DWI in December during his time with the Seattle Seahawks. According to Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk, the Cowboys have been happy with Moore since signing him in March and knew the suspension was coming.

But the punishment of Moore is still going to be another negative mark for a team that can’t stop racking up suspensions.

Dallas Morning News tallied all the suspensions in the NFL over the last four years and the Cowboys lead the way by a huge margin. The two-game ban for Moore is the team’s 16th suspension since 2014, with 102 total games lost. The Cleveland Browns are second in suspensions with 10 and the Baltimore Ravens have the second most games lost with 55.

The team probably isn’t even done yet. Linebacker Damien Wilson was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on July 4 and cornerback Nolan Carroll was arrested in May for suspicion of DWI following a welcome party celebrating his signing with the Cowboys.

It’s also possible All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott could receive a suspension stemming from the NFL’s yearlong investigation into an alleged domestic violence incident.

No position has been hit harder by all the punishments than defensive end.

Randy Gregory has already accumulated three suspensions since he was taken in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, and may never play in the league again. Moore joins David Irving and DeMarcus Lawrence as the other current Cowboys defensive linemen who have received a suspension with the team since 2016.

That’s not to mention the addition of Greg Hardy in 2015, despite being well aware of his domestic violence history and an impending suspension that was originally 10 games and later reduced to four games after an appeal.

Earlier this week, the Cowboys finally decided to put their foot down and cut ties with a player in trouble. The team released Lucky Whitehead after a warrant was issued for his arrest, but one day later it was rescinded and police admitted the shoplifting accusation levied against the return specialist was a case of mistaken identity.

The Cowboys can’t get out of their own way.