Aaron Lynch suspended four games by NFL

The San Francisco 49ers are going to be without Aaron Lynch for the first four games of the season, as the outside linebacker has been suspended by the NFL.

On Friday afternoon, the Niners issued an official statement on their website that Lynch had been suspended without pay by the NFL because he violated the substance abuse policy. As is normally the case, the team did not go into details about which particular drug he was using.

San Francisco mentioned that Lynch was eligible to play again after the 49ers take on the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 2. There is a bit of irony there, as the Cowboys have three defensive players serving suspensions for violating the substance abuse policy as well. DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory are also serving a four-game suspensions, while Rolando McClain will not be available for 10 games.

Though he is not allowed to play in the four regular-season games, Lynch will be allowed to participate in practice and off season events. That should enable him to still develop his game, as he is still trying to figure out how to become a star in the NFL.

Lynch only recorded 6.5 sacks last season, but he was still viewed as one of the most disruptive pass rushers in the NFL.

With Lynch not on the field, the most likely candidates to start at outside linebackers are Ahmad Brooks and Eli Harold. Brooks has been a solid veteran for San Francisco over his career, but he can a locker room liability at times. Harold is solid, but he does not possess the physical gifts of Lynch.

San Francisco has publicly offered their support towards Lynch. Since he is just 23 years of age, the team views him as a core player for the future of the defense. They are hoping that he can replace the pass rushing void left by Aldon Smith, the troubled outside linebacker who is now with the Oakland Raiders.

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