NFL Suspends Commanders DE Dorance Armstrong for One Game While He Rehabs a Torn ACL

The NFL’s disciplinary wheel of fortune has landed on Washington Commanders defensive end Dorance Armstrong. According to Adam Schefter, the league is handing Armstrong a one-game suspension for violating the personal conduct policy.

The timing here is objectively hilarious. Armstrong is currently working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 7 of last season. Handing a one-game suspension to a guy who might not even be medically cleared to play is like grounding a teenager who already has a broken leg. He was not going anywhere anyway.

"Adam Schefter reported the suspension and noted Armstrong is coming off a torn ACL."

When healthy, Armstrong is a crucial piece of the Washington pass rush. Losing him for any amount of time is a blow to a defensive front that needs all the disruption it can get to stay competitive in the division.

For anyone eyeing Washington's early-season defensive props or Week 1 spreads, this creates a weird depth dynamic. If Armstrong's knee rehab was going to keep him out of the opener regardless, this suspension is basically a phantom punishment served in sweatpants.

If he was actually tracking to play, the Commanders now have to scramble to patch the edge for the first week of the season. Either way, Washington will be down a key defender when the real games kick off, and Armstrong gets an extra week to ice the knee before making his return.