Raiders OL Vadal Alexander suspended four games for PED violation

Come the regular season, the Raiders will be down one offensive tackle. The NFL has come down on former 7th round pick Vadal Alexander for violating the league’s rules on performance enhancing drugs. He will be suspended for the first four games of the season.

Alexander will be eligible to return to the Raiders’ active roster on Monday, October 1 following the team’s September 30 game against the Cleveland Browns.

He will be eligible to participate in all offseason and preseason practices and preseason games.

The 6-5, 326-pounder was expected to compete for a roster spot as a utility reserve tackle/guard and perhaps the staring right tackle job. With Breno Giacomini added this offseason and the team spending two of their top three draft choices on the position, it was getting crowded. In that regard, this could actually do Alexander a favor.

If he were on the bubble come the final roster cutdown, it gives him another four weeks for the team to decide on what to do with him.