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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Bills linebacker Andre Smith has been suspended for the first six games of the 2022 NFL season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, a league source told ESPN. Smith was not on the field at the team’s voluntary OTAs on Tuesday. Smith, 25, is entering the second season of a two-year contract with the Bills and his third year with the team. The 2018 seventh-round pick by the Carolina Panthers was acquired by the Bills in a trade in August 2020 for a conditional 2023 seventh-round pick. Smith tweeted Wednesday night that he had never taken a PED.
The suspension was first reported by NFL Network. Smith has played in 27 regular-season games for the Bills, primarily as a key special teams contributor. Smith did not play a defensive snap in 2021 but played on over 60% of special teams snaps in each of the past two campaigns. Under the suspension, Smith can still be around the team for training camp and the preseason. The first game he would be eligible to return for the Bills is Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers following the Week 7 bye. The suspension will open opportunities for other players to earn a spot on special teams and could hamper Smith's chances to make the squad, as he will be competing with a packed linebacker room, including rookie Baylon Spector, Joe-Giles Harris and Marquel Lee, for a roster spot and playing opportunities. Starting linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano are back for another year, and the Bills' defense has traditionally played with a nickel corner on the field for a large portion of games, increasing the need for linebackers on the roster to compete on special teams.
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