Bills' Michael Hoecht, Larry Ogunjobi Suspended 6 Games By NFL for PED Violations

The NFL has suspended Buffalo Bills defensive linemen Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi six games apiece for violations of the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances, Bills general manager Brandon Beane told reporters on Friday.

Hoecht played his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams before signing a three-year, $21 million deal with the Bills. Ogunjobi played eight seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers before inking a one-year, $8.3 million contract with Buffalo.

Buffalo Bills radio play-by-play broadcaster Chris Brown relayed more information from Beane on the matters.

The two newcomers will still be able to partake in offseason workouts and training camp, but then the suspensions will kick in when the regular season starts.

That's a tough blow for the Bills, who are trying to finally break through to the Super Bowl after falling in the AFC Championship or Divisional Round each of the past five seasons. They got tantalizingly close last year before losing 32-29 at the Kansas City Chiefs.

Buffalo's defense could stand to take a step forward after a mediocre performance at Kansas City, and Hoecht and Ogunjobi were both expected to bring much-needed depth to the defensive line.

However, the Bills will be short-handed without them to start. On paper, Buffalo's starting defensive line in its 4-3 defense should be Greg Rousseau, DaQuan Jones, Ed Oliver and Joey Bosa, the five-time Pro Bowler who just arrived after being released following nine seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers.

But now others could be called upon to provide more snaps to start, including DeWayne Carter, Javon Solomon and Branson Deen.