Jayron Hosley has been suspended four games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, according to ESPN's Adam Caplan. Hosley is expected to play a significant role in the New York Giants secondary this upcoming season behind starters Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
Jayron Hosley suspended 4 games for violation of NFL substance abuse policy
A thinning Giants secondary became even thinner Wednesday upon the news that cornerback Jayron Hosley has been suspended for the start of the 2014 season.
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The suspension is the second suffered by the Giants’ secondary this offseason. Safety Will Hill was suspended for six games last month for a separate violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. The team has since decided to cut Hill.
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As SB Nation’s Matthew Fairburn pointed out last month, NFL suspensions for violations of the substance abuse policy have been occurring at about the same rate as they did in 2013, which was higher than it had been the prior three years. Factor in Hill and, now, Hosley, and it appears that 2014 is on track for the most preseason suspensions of any year since the NFL implemented polices banning illegal substances in 1989.
The suspensions leave the Giants' secondary with little depth. Though Hosley wasn't a significant contributor last season -- he played just 116 snaps, through injuries -- he was projected to play an expanded role this season, his third in the NFL after being selected in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Hosley's suspension leaves just Walter Thurmond, Zack Bowman and a slew of rookies and undrafted players behind Amukamara and Rodgers-Cromartie at cornerback. Last season, the Giants' secondary was one of the team's better units. It relinquished 223 yards per game, and allowed a 78.3 opponent quarterback rating, which ranked sixth in the NFL.
Scouting the Secondary
Hosley will be eligible to return to the Giants on Sept. 26, following the team's bout against the Washington Redskins and in time for a Week 5 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. He reportedly appealed the NFL's decision, but dropped the appeal Wednesday, according to FOX Sports' Mike Garafolo.
Per NFL.com's Ian Rapaport, Hosley failed his drug test at the NFL Combine in 2012.
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