CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Donald Stephenson has been suspended for the first two games of the 2018 regular season for violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse, the league announced Friday afternoon.
According to a statement released by the NFL, Stephenson will be eligible to return to the Browns’ active roster on Monday, September 17. Stephenson will miss the regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium, as well as the first road game of the year at the New Orleans Saints on September 16.
Despite the looming suspension, Stephenson will be eligible to participate in training camp and all preseason games.
Stephenson missed all of the Browns’ mandatory minicamp this past week and is subject to fines for doing so.
“That will all come to an end here pretty soon,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said earlier in the week. “Obviously, the guy is not here for minicamp. There are fines involved. There are all of those things that we will deal with.
“At this time, I only want to talk about the guys that are here and working and doing the things that they need to be doing right now.”
During the offseason, the Browns aimed at building depth along the offensive line and signed Stephenson to a one-year deal worth a reported $2.5 million.
A third-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2012 NFL Draft out of the University of Oklahoma, Stephenson spent the first four years of his professional career with the Chiefs, where he played in 60 games and made 21 starts.
In the 2016 offseason, Stephenson joined the Denver Broncos on a three-year deal worth $14 million, including $10 million guaranteed.
Over his two years with the Broncos, the 6-foot-6, 312-pound Stephenson appeared in just 20 games with 16 starts. Stephenson made 12 starts in 13 appearances for the Broncos during the 2016 season.
During his four years with the Chiefs, Stephenson started three playoff games, one in 2013 and two more in 2015.