Titans DB Nazeeh Johnson Hit With Six-Game PED Suspension

The Tennessee Titans are going to be down a defensive back to start the year, and it has nothing to do with a pulled hamstring. Nazeeh Johnson has been handed a six-game suspension without pay for violating the NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Substances Policy.

According to Ian Rapoport, the suspension officially kicks in on August 30. That means Johnson, who just suited up in Tennessee's 19-13 preseason win over the San Francisco 49ers, gets to hang around for the rest of training camp before packing up his locker right before the real games start.

"Ian Rapoport reported the suspension will begin on August 30 and he will be eligible for reinstatement on Monday, October 19."

Getting popped for PEDs in mid-August is brutal timing. You do all the grueling summer conditioning, survive the heat of training camp, and then get told you have to watch the first month and a half of the season from your couch until you are eligible to return on October 19.

For the Titans, losing depth in the secondary is never ideal, especially in an AFC South that requires you to actually cover wide receivers now. Tennessee is trying to figure out exactly what their defense looks like, and suddenly being down a safety for six weeks forces them to shuffle the deck before Week 1 even kicks off.

Bettors looking at Tennessee's early-season defensive props will need to factor in the missing depth. Johnson will have to stay out of the facility until mid-October, leaving the Titans scrambling to fill his snaps while he waits out the league's mandatory timeout.