The NFL has suspended Redskins outside linebacker Trent Murphy for four games without pay for a violation of its policy on performance-enhancing drugs, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Murphy unsuccessfully appealed the ban, which the league originally handed down last month.
A 2014 second-round pick, Murphy seemingly boosted his stock last season – his second straight 16-game campaign – by picking up career-high totals in sacks (nine) and forced fumbles (three) during his penultimate year of team control. Impressively, Murphy posted that gaudy sack total without starting a game, instead serving as a reserve behind Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith. Murphy was mostly a No. 1 in his first two years, during which he combined for 23 starts and six sacks in 31 appearances.
Now that the league has upheld Murphy’s suspension, he’ll miss a quarter of the season, thus hurting him as he vies for a strong contract year and subtracting a key defender from Washington’s lineup. The Redskins finished last season tied for ninth in the league in sacks (38), 20 of which came from Kerrigan (a team-leading 11) and Murphy.