Reuters

The Panthers have announced that defensive tackle Andre Neblett has been suspended four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing substances.

Neblett, a former undrafted rookie from Temple, has played 19 games with five starts for the Panthers.

He’s eligible to participate in all offseason practices and preseason games, but will miss the first four regular season games. He’s eligible to return on October 1.

On any other team, missing a player of Neblett’s stature wouldn’t be much of an issue. But the Panthers are extremely thin at defensive tackle, making any loss a significant one.