Charles Snowden, the outside linebacker who signed with the Dallas Cowboys last month following a minicamp tryout, has been suspended for the first three regular-season games of the 2026 season, according to the NFL’s transactions wire.
The suspension is connected to a DUI arrest from 2024 that occurred while Snowden was playing for the Las Vegas Raiders. He reached a plea agreement in January, entering a no-contest plea to a misdemeanor DUI charge, paying a fine, and agreeing to attend court-mandated courses. If he completes all terms of the agreement, the charge will be reduced to reckless driving. The NFL’s reason for the suspension was not formally stated in the transactions wire, but the timing and circumstances align directly with the legal matter.
How the suspension works
Snowden is permitted to participate in all of Dallas’s preseason activities, including preseason games, before the suspension takes effect. The three-game penalty will begin after the league-mandated roster reduction to 53 players in advance of the regular season, meaning the Cowboys will have access to him through the full preseason evaluation period.
The timing creates a straightforward situation for both the player and the team. Snowden can establish himself in training camp and preseason games, demonstrate his value to the coaching staff, and earn a spot on the final roster before sitting out the first three weeks of the regular season.
What Snowden brings when available
Snowden had the best statistical season of his NFL career last year with the Raiders, recording three sacks and his first career interception across a full complement of games. He has worked primarily as a rotational pass rusher at the professional level, developing the skills and awareness needed to contribute in a defensive structure that uses multiple edge rushers.
His minicamp tryout with Dallas was successful enough to earn a contract, and the Cowboys clearly saw enough in his performance to sign him despite the pending suspension. Three sacks in a season for a player on a one-year deal trying to establish himself in the league is meaningful production, and the interception added a dimension to his pass rushing profile that shows the ability to make plays on the ball in addition to pressuring the quarterback.
The broader context
Snowden’s suspension adds him to the list of Dallas defenders who will be unavailable in the season’s opening weeks, a common situation for NFL teams that must regularly manage the early-season absences of players serving league-mandated suspensions. The Cowboys will need to account for his absence in how they construct their depth at the edge position and how they plan to handle the early portion of the schedule.
The legal matter itself has been resolved through the judicial system, with Snowden having accepted responsibility through his no-contest plea and agreeing to the conditions set by the court. The NFL’s separate disciplinary process operates independently and imposes its own consequences under the league’s personal conduct policy. Completing the terms of his plea agreement will eventually result in the underlying charge being reduced, which represents the end of the legal proceedings on his side. The three-game NFL suspension is a discrete professional consequence that does not extend further unless new issues emerge.
