Texans LB Denzel Perryman suspended three games after hit on Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase

The NFL suspended Houston Texans linebacker Denzel Perryman for violating rules intended for player safety, the league said on Tuesday.

The nine-year veteran will sit out three games without pay after he was called for unnecessary roughness when he tackled Ja'Marr Chase in the fourth quarter of the Texans' 30-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Perryman led with the crown of his helmet and hit the star receiver's shoulder and then the head/neck area, "a play that the league considers a serious violation of the playing rules," NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan said in a statement directed to the former Pro Bowl linebacker.

After the game, Perryman seemingly responded to criticism of his hit on Chase with a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"Save all the negative comments and remarks bout me and my coverage.." he said on Sunday. "One minute they love you then they hate you.. Come show me how it’s done since everybody coverage experts lol.. Overall we got the W.. I love these guys."

In sharing the news of the suspension, the league said that Perryman has six violations of personal safety rules in his career, including an incident in a Week 2 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. After the game, the linebacker was fined $66,666 for a hit on running back Zack Moss where he led with the crown of his helmet. He wasn't called for a penalty after the play.

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“When players violate the rules intended to protect player safety on a repeated basis, and particularly when the violations carry with them a significant risk of injury to an opposing player, it is appropriate to impose substantially greater penalties," Runyan said.

Perryman will be eligible to return to the Texans' active roster on Dec. 4 after their Week 13 matchup hosting the Denver Broncos. Houston is 5-4 behind rookie quarterback CJ Stroud.

The linebacker was selected by the then-San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft after starring at Miami. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021 in his first year with the Las Vegas Raiders when he registered a career-high 154 tackles.

He joined the Texans this offseason with a reported one-year deal. He has 41 tackles in six games.