Tony Romo Returns To Cowboys Practice
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo practiced today for the first time since his injury. The Cowboys officially announced the news while listing him as “limited” on the injury report. 
At the time of Romo’s injury, the plan was for rookie Dak Prescott to hold down the fort until the veteran could make his mid-season return. Of course, Prescott has taken off in his six games under center, leading Dallas to a 5-1 record. While Prescott’s play has been a pleasant surprise for Dallas, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones did hedge his bets a tad in August when asked about the possibility of a Drew Bledsoe/Tom Brady situation.
“I can’t imagine a scenario where Tony’s not our quarterback when he’s ready,” Jones said. “But things happen. You know that. You know what happened to Bledsoe and Brady. I’m sure Tony’s aware of that. But the reality is, Tony’s going to come back for us and play great, we believe.”
Romo only played in four games in 2015, tossing five touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has been eager to show what he can do in 2016, but it’s not clear when or if he’ll get that opportunity. When Romo does return, he’s likely to be holding the clipboard for Prescott.
Broncos RB C.J. Anderson Likely Going On IR
C.J. Anderson has torn the meniscus in his right knee, Mike Klis of 9NEWS tweets. He is likely headed to IR. He’ll have arthroscopic surgery today to determine whether it’s a full or partial tear, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
There has been a roller coaster of reports on Anderson with some indicating that he could be out a few weeks while others hinted at a longer stint on the sidelines. Now, we know that Anderson will be out for at least two months.
It’s not immediately clear whether Anderson could conceivably make a late season return. Anderson’s timetable will likely hinge on the severity of the tear. A partial tear of the meniscus could allow for a faster recovery. However, a “bucket handle tear” of the meniscus like the one suffered by Adrian Peterson would rule him out for a lot longer.
Earlier today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) reported that Anderson told people close to him that he is done for the year. Anderson issued a denial of his own on Twitter, but later deleted it.
Patriots RB Dion Lewis Returns To Practice
Patriots running back Dion Lewis returned to practice today, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Now that he has taken the practice field, the Patriots’ 21-day window for activation has begun. 
Lewis was placed on the PUP list in late August as he continued his rehab his knee. Lewis was a key cog of New England’s offense before his ACL tear, rushing 49 times for 234 yards and catching 36 passes for 388 yards. He also scored four total touchdowns, two through the air and two on the ground. After healing up from ACL surgery this summer, Lewis suffered an additional setback in his knee which also required an operation.
With Lewis sidelined, the Pats have leaned on LeGarrette Blount and James White to power the running game. While they have done a capable job for the 6-1 Patriots, a healthy Lewis would give the backfield a major boost.
Aldon Smith Applies For Reinstatement
Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith has applied for reinstatement, GM Reggie McKenzie tells Vic Tafur of The San Francisco Chronicle. Smith’s one-year suspension formally ends on Nov. 17 and league sources tell Tafur that he is out of rehab. 
“Aldon is doing well,” McKenzie said. “That situation is going to be totally up to the league because he’s been in the program and they’ve monitored him. It’s up to Goodell to say yah, nay or when. And he could say no to everything … that part is out of our hands. The league will take everything into consideration and Aldon will have to meet with [Roger] Goodell at some point.”
McKenzie added that Smith is “working out and getting ready,” though the team is forbidden from contacting Smith per the terms of his ban. Tafur writes that Oakland has kept in touch with Smith through intermediaries, including Smith’s agent.
Smith appeared in seven games for Oakland last season and inked a two-year extension with the team this spring. His $11.5MM deal contains no guaranteed money, so the Raiders can cut bait without financial penalty if Smith cannot stay on the right path.
No ACL Tear For C.J. Anderson
UPDATE: Anderson did not suffer an ACL tear, but he is likely headed to IR after tearing his meniscus. Click here for more.
C.J. Anderson’s worst case scenario has been ruled out. Tests have confirmed that the Broncos running back does not have an ACL tear, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. More should be known about the full extent of Anderson’s injury later on today when the Broncos provide an update. 
Anderson suffered his knee injury in the first quarter of Monday night’s game against the Texans. Showing tremendous heart, Anderson stayed in the game. Afterwards, the Broncos took a closer look at the injury and feared significant damage. Anderson isn’t totally out of the woods and could still miss multiple games, but it doesn’t sound like his injury is a season-ender.
Yesterday, it was reported that Anderson is expected to be out at least a few weeks. That still sounds like the most likely outcome for the the 25-year-old, but we should know more about his timetable this afternoon.
Raiders’ LV Stadium Hits Potential Snag
The Raiders have been building momentum towards a Las Vegas move, but they could be hitting a snag. Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson is not happy with what he perceives as changes to the stadium deal and he is threatening to walk. 
[RELATED: Goodell May Exert Influence In Las Vegas Vote]
“I negotiated to bring in the Oakland Raiders, an NFL football team from Oakland, because they don’t have a stadium there, that I would build a stadium and rent it out to the Oakland Raiders,” Adelson told Reuters’ Ari Rabinovitch. “They want so much. So I told my people, ‘Tell them I could live with the deal, I could live without the deal. Here’s the way it’s gonna go down. If they don’t want it, bye-bye.”
The Raiders’ Las Vegas project took a major leap forward last week when Nevada’s governor OK’d a bill that would increase hotel taxes and reroute those additional funds to the new stadium. Adelson, meanwhile, has pledged up to $650MM toward building the stadium. If Adelson were to pull out, the Raiders and the state of Nevada would have to scramble for a new billionaire partner.
Latest On Lions Coaching Situation
Jim Caldwell‘s seat was looking pretty hot earlier this month, but talk of a coaching change in Detroit has cooled now that the Lions are on a three-game winning streak. However, things change quickly in the NFL and there’s no guarantee that Caldwell will be back in 2017 if the Lions cannot keep it up in the second half. If there is a head coaching change, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com hears that Lions GM Bob Quinn would probably consider Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. 
In a scenario where McDaniels was hired as the Lions’ head coach, current offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter would probably be squeezed out. Given how well Cooter has worked with quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Lions are likely eager to hang on to their OC. And, at the young age of 32, Cooter can probably be kept as OC for at least a few more years.
Of course, the Lions are going to have to make a serious commitment to keep Stafford in place as he excels in his contract year.
Teddy Bridgewater’s Career In Jeopardy?
Some people around the NFL believe that Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater‘s career could be in jeopardy following his gruesome knee injury this summer, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Schefter has heard from multiple medical officials, both in the NFL and not in the NFL, who are questioning whether he’ll be able to take the field again. 
“If he didn’t make it back, it wouldn’t surprise me,” one doctor who has worked with NFL teams said. “This is a bad injury, about the worst knee injury a player can have.”
Schefter notes that Bridgewater is making progress in his recovery, and Vikings officials are pleased with what they’ve seen from his early stages of rehab. Still, the Vikings paid a small fortune to acquire Sam Bradford after Bridgewater went down and it’s believed that they made the trade with the 2017 season in mind. Given the complex nature of Bridgewater’s injury – he suffered a torn ACL and dislocated his knee – there are no guarantees when it comes to his timetable.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/26/16
Here are today’s minor moves.
- The Dolphins cut defensive tackle Julius Warmsley today, as Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes. Warmsley has been inactive for the last two weeks. In total, he appeared in five games for Miami this year and recorded eight tackles.
- The Jets announced that they have signed linebacker Taiwan Jones. No, the Raiders running back-turned-cornerback-turned-running back didn’t change positions again. This Taiwan Jones is a UDFA out of Michigan State who has yet to play in an NFL game, but that could end soon.
- The Texans are signing offensive tackle Jeff Adams, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). Adams has played in four games during what’s been a five-year career, suiting up for two with the Texans in each of the past two years. He started two games last season.
- The Cardinals promoted wide receiver Chris Hubert from the practice squad to the active roster today. Hubert will fill Jaron Brown‘s roster spot after he was put on IR with an ACL injury.
Practice Squad Updates: 10/26/16
Here are today’s practice squad moves.
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OT Martin Wallace
Chicago Bears
- Signed: CB Jacoby Glenn
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DB Darius Hillary, RB Terrence Magee, DL Gabe Wright
- Cut: RB Terrell Watson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: C Jacob Flores
New England Patriots
- Cut: G Chase Farris
New York Jets
- Signed: C Kyle Friend, LB Reshard Cliett
- Cut: WR Myles White
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: CB Trovon Reed
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: QB Joel Stave