Third Buccaneers player in less than year suspended for PEDs

Becoming the third Buccaneers player in less than a year to be suspended for use of a banned substance, Terry Beckner Jr. is set to miss four games.

The news came down yesterday that seventh round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and current practice squad player Terry Beckner Jr. has been suspended four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Beckner is now the third Buc to get popped for PED use in less than a year; is there a deeper internal issue that should bring worry?

UPDATED: Buccaneers have signed DL Jeremiah Ledbetter to Practice Squad to take Beckner’s spot during suspension (via Greg Auman)

Beckner’s suspension follows that of recently released linebacker Devante Bond and cornerback Ryan Smith as players who are guilty of using a banned substance while with the Buccaneers. While currently on the practice squad in Tampa, Beckner is now unlikely to get called up by any team to an active roster anytime soon now.

Taken in the seventh round by the Bucs out of the University of Missouri, Beckner failed to make the active roster in Tampa; an outcome that could have been predicted by looking at his athletic numbers and college productivity. With one of the worst combine performances of any defensive tackle, Beckner posted just a 2.18 Relative Athletic Score according to Ken Lee Platte.

After a promising junior campaign with the Tigers, Beckner’s production took a steep hit as a senior. Playing in all 13 games, Beckner tallied just three and a half sacks, but did match his total from 2018 in tackles behind the line of scrimmage with 11.

Beckner does not seem worth the risk of keeping around, as every ounce of data seems to indicate he does not have the ability to compete in the NFL. For now, Terry Beckner remains a member of the Buccaneers’ practice squad, but it is just a matter of time before we see if the pewter and red will justify a squad spot to a suspended player with such a low ceiling.