Earlier on Monday, Houston Texans wide receiver Will Fuller announced on Instagram that he’s been suspended six games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substance policy.
And on Monday night, Houston cornerback Bradley Roby announced that he too has been suspended six games for a PED violation.
So, two Houston starters are handed season-ending suspensions on the same day. Yikes.
Fuller is Houston’s No. 1 receiver and one of the best big-play threats in the NFL. He had 53 receptions for 879 yards (16.6 AVG) and eight touchdowns this season. The 26-year-old’s presence was especially valuable for Deshaun Watson after Bill O’Brien (inexplicably) traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals over the offseason. The Green Bay Packers tried to trade for Fuller — in the final season of his rookie deal — before the Nov. 2 trade deadline, and are surely happy now that the deal fell through.
Roby, 28, had one interception and seven pass deflections this season after signing a three-year, $31.5 million with Houston over the offseason. The seven-year veteran was a first-round pick by the Denver Broncos in the 2014 draft.
Houston (4-7) has been playing better football after firing O’Brien, with wins in three of their last four games. But these suspensions are a huge hit to their talent and depth, and put even more pressure on Watson to basically win games on his own.