Texans player Denico Autry suspended for six games for banned substances

Houston Texans defensive end Denico Autry has been suspended for six games for violating NFL policies on performance-enhancing drugs, according to league sources.

Autry signed with the Texans this offseason after spending the past three seasons with the Tennessee Titans. The 34-year-old defensive end is coming off one of his most productive seasons, recording a career-high 11 1/2 sacks in 2023.

Autry denied knowingly taking a banned substance but said in a statement released Monday that he accepted the six-game suspension.

“It was important to me that the NFL know that I did not intentionally or knowingly ingest a banned substance,” he wrote in the statement. “However, I understand that under NFL policy, the ultimate responsibility for what goes into my body rests with me.”

Autry explained that he became aware that he had tested positive for a banned substance. Autry said he discovered that he had received a different medication from the pharmacy than the one his doctor had prescribed, which contained the banned substance.

“I want to make it clear that at no time did I know or even suspect that this drug contained a banned substance,” he said.

What impact does this have on Houston?

I praised the Texans’ signing of Autry as one of the most underrated additions of the offseason because of his excellent pass-rushing ability. He’s coming off his best season in terms of sacks and has a 12.9 percent pressure rate over the past three seasons, via TruMedia. The addition of Autry and Danielle Hunter should certainly bolster the Texans’ defense with Will Anderson Jr.

Now that Autry is out for six games, that should leave quite a hole in the middle in the interim. The Texans open the season with these six QB matchups: Anthony Richardson, Caleb Williams, Sam Darnold, Trevor Lawrence, Josh Allen, Jacoby Brissett. Those aren’t impossible matchups for Houston, the defending AFC South champions. But without Autry in those matchups, some of those QBs could manage to feel less pressure up the middle with Autry out of the lineup. — Larry Holder, NFL senior editor

(Photo: Tim Warner/Getty Images)