Everyone’s been talking about the suspension of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his return to the field this coming Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. The Buffalo Bills also lost a Pro Bowler for the first month of the season and Marcell Dareus is back with the team this week. Also back from suspension is Seantrel Henderson, who could be in line for his first start of the season on Sunday if he’s up for it physically.
Dareus was suspended for four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Reports are that Dareus didn’t test positive for a banned substance but rather for missing a drug test. He was already in the league’s diversion program after an earlier violation.
Henderson was also suspended for a drug violation, but openly admits using marijuana to treat the pain from his Crohn’s disease. It’s unclear if Henderson would have been healthy enough to play at the start of the season, anyway, so he didn’t fight the suspension and his agent noted he would have lost the appeal anyway.
The two could figure heavily into the rotation against the Rams this Sunday. Dareus will slide in as the starting defensive tackle and give Kyle Williams some breathing room after carrying the defensive line through the first month. Henderson could end up starting at right tackle if Jordan Mills can’t go. He left Sunday’s game against the Patriots with an ankle injury.