Houston Texans defensive lineman Denico Autry is being suspended six games on Monday for violating the league's policy against performance-enhancing drugs. "It was important to me that the NFL know that I did not intentionally or even knowingly ingest a banned substance," Autry said in a statement. It comes after Autry signed a two-year, $20 million deal with the Texans back in March. The 34-year-old veteran is now clearly off the fantasy radar in IDP leagues now that he'll miss the first six games of the 2024 campaign. The former undrafted free agent spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Raiders before also spending time with the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans. In his 10 years in the NFL, he has 310 tackles (213 solo), 59 sacks, 80 tackles for loss and 107 QB hits. Autry had a career-best 11.5 sacks in 17 games (14 starts) in Tennessee in 2023.
Free-agent defensive lineman Denico Autry is expected to sign a two-year, $10 million deal with the Houston Texans. This comes after he enjoyed a career year with the Tennessee Titans in 2023, setting career-highs in tackles (50), sacks (11.5), forced fumbles (two), and run-stuffs (7.5). The 33-year-old has enjoyed a ton of success later in his career, so he still has plenty of ability to help boost the Houston front seven. Houston just lost standout edge rusher Jonathan Greenard to the Minnesota Vikings, so Autry's versatility on the defensive line helps make up for the big departure.
Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Denico Autry (knee) suffered a knee injury in the Thursday night game against the Green Bay Packers and is questionable to return in the second half. Autry is one of the team's better defensive lineman, so we'll have to see if this injury will keep him out beyond Thursday's game. The 32-year-old entered Week 11 action with seven sacks, 20 tackles (12 solo), six tackles for loss, 15 QB hits and a forced fumble in nine games played. Before leaving Thursday's contest against the Packers, Autry had just one QB hit against Aaron Rodgers.
The Tennessee Titans placed defensive lineman Denico Autry on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday. He will be ineligible to return for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins until he clears protocols. The 31-year-old has racked up 25 tackles and eight sacks over 15 games in 2021. Tennessee's defense has been stout against the run and ranks second against opposing fantasy backs this year. Autry's potential absence downgrades the Titans defense a little, but it should open a few more lanes for the Dolphins run game. Larrell Murchison should see an uptick in snaps if Autry is ruled out.
The Tennessee Titans signed former Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Denico Autry to a three-year deal worth $21.5 million on Monday. Autry will receive $9 million guaranteed and $14.25 million over two years. Never a flashy player in his time with the Colts, he generated 20 sacks, including a team-high nine in 2018, in his three seasons in Indy. Autry missed two games while dealing with COVID-19 last season, but his 7.5 sacks were third on the team behind DeForest Buckner (9.5) and Justin Houston (eight). He'll be a nice disruptive inside force to complement Jeffrey Simmons in Tennessee. The Titans had just 19 sacks last year, so they're hoping that Autry can provide a boost in that category after he posted an 11.6 percent pass-rush win rate in 2020. The 30-year-old has 30.5 sacks and 202 tackles in 96 career games over seven seasons.
Colts Defense Activates Denico Autry From COVID-19 List
The Indianapolis Colts activated defensive lineman Denico Autry from the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday. Autry, who leads the team with six sacks this year, has missed the last two games. Without him against the Titans in Week 12, Indy's defense allowed 449 yards, including 229 rushing yards. Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner is the only Colts player still on the COVID-19 list, but he could be activated on Saturday if he has no symptoms and continues to test negative. Along with his six sacks, Autry has 24 tackles (15 solo), seven tackles for loss and seven QB hits in nine games (eight starts). His return will be a boost for a Colts Defense looking to bounce back against the Texans, who just lost top wideout Will Fuller to a six-game PED suspension. Consider Indy's defense a fringe starting unit in 12- and 14-team leagues.
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