Seattle CB Brandon Browner suspended 4 games

Browner's loss leaves the Seahawks without a Pro Bowl cornerback whose size and physical play has flustered wide receivers for much of the past two seasons. Walter Thurmond, who was a starter for a short time during the 2011 season before suffering a leg injury, will step in and take Browner's spot.

Browner will be eligible to rejoin the team on Dec. 31 and will be able to play in the postseason should the Seahawks make the playoffs.

"I've thought all along that we are very fortunate to have Walter with some background that has started for us in the past," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "He's an excellent athlete. He played very well for us this last week and he'll step right up into that mode."

News broke after Seattle's loss at Miami on Nov. 25 that Browner and fellow starting cornerback Richard Sherman were both facing suspensions after testing positive for PEDs. A day later, Browner's agent, Peter Schaffer, said that Browner had no knowledge of how any banned substance got into his system, but he did not provide any specifics on when an appeal might take place.