The NFL has hit Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Charles Snowden with a three-game suspension to start the 2026 regular season, the league announced yesterday. Snowden, signed by Dallas after a June tryout, will still be allowed to take part in all preseason practices and games, but will not be eligible for the active roster once teams trim down to 53 players.
The league notice, carried on the team’s site, outlined the commissioner’s discipline and clarified that Snowden’s suspension “will take effect as of the roster reduction to 53 players.” The wire did not spell out an appeal window or list any additional penalties beyond the three-game ban, according to DallasCowboys.com.
Arrest and body-worn footage
The suspension stems from Snowden’s December 2024 arrest in Las Vegas, when officers say they found him asleep in a running Jeep Grand Cherokee that “had almost rolled off a four-foot retaining wall” near Rainbow Boulevard and Sunset Road, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Police later released body-worn camera video that showed officers describing Snowden as unsteady during field sobriety checks, as reported by Fox5 Las Vegas. Earlier coverage broke down the details of the booking and aftermath in Las Vegas DUI bust coverage.
Legal status
Snowden’s attorneys later entered a no-contest plea that allowed prosecutors to reduce the original misdemeanor DUI charge to reckless driving. That plea was submitted in January, according to USA TODAY.
What it means for the Cowboys
The Cowboys added Snowden after a successful tryout during mandatory minicamp, bringing in a veteran edge option to deepen the offseason roster. Over the past two seasons with the Raiders, he totaled roughly 4.5 sacks and 67 tackles, based on league game logs from NFL.com. With a three-game suspension hanging over him, Snowden’s already narrow path to making Dallas’ 53-man roster just got tighter.
The team’s decision to sign him off that minicamp look was first detailed by DallasCowboys.com.
Next steps
Coaches will still have a full training camp and preseason to evaluate Snowden, since he remains eligible to practice and play until final cuts. Once the regular season kicks off, though, he must sit out the Cowboys’ first three games under the league’s ruling.
Analysts have pointed out that short suspensions like this can be particularly tricky for fringe roster players, because teams have to weigh preseason production against the immediate loss of regular-season availability. The league notice and its implications for Dallas were also detailed by ProFootballTalk.
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