Court Restores Ezekiel Elliott’s Six-Game Ban
The Fifth Circuit of Appeals has ruled in favor of the NFL in its case against Ezekiel Elliott. As a result, Elliott’s six-game ban has been restored. 
However, Elliott’s camp could re-file in New York Federal Court and keep him on the field, according to lawyer Gabe Feldman (on Twitter). It’s not known whether Elliott will continue the fight, but we do know that it’s not necessarily over. Elliott can also re-file in Texas, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The court, based out of New Orleans, ordered the district court in Texas to dismiss Elliott’s case with a 2-1 vote in favor of the NFL.
If no further legal action is taken by Elliott’s team, he may be barred from playing in the team’s Oct. 22 contest against the Niners. The NFL plans to enforce this immediately, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. The Cowboys have a Week 6 bye. After their 49ers tilt, the Cowboys face the Redskins, Chiefs, Falcons, Eagles and Chargers. Three of these games (against the 49ers, Redskins and Falcons) are on the road.
In August, Elliott received the six-game suspension for domestic abuse allegedly occurring during a week in 2016. But Texas judge Amos Mazzant granted the running back an injunction that allowed him to play in Dallas’ first five games while this case made its way through the courts. Thursday’s ruling overrules Mazzant’s, and now Elliott and the NFLPA will have to make a decision about fighting this further.
Elliott filed his appeal in Texas prior to NFL arbiter Harold Henderson upholding the six-game ban levied upon him. That preemptive strike played into this latest ruling against the running back, ESPN’s Josina Anderson tweets. The decision being based on Elliott’s timing would stand to give the second-year player a chance in New York Federal Court, Breer notes (on Twitter).
While the parties likely will, with Elliott and the NFLPA previously unwilling to agree on a settlement with the league, this now could be a matter of finances. Elliott serving his six-game ban without pay would obviously deal a blow to both his reputation and the Cowboys’ playoff hopes. And a subsequent fight in the offseason would be about recouping salary and having this charge vacated from his record. Elliott was not charged or arrested for this alleged violence against Tiffany Thompson.
Even with Elliott’s services, the Cowboys are 2-3. It took them until Week 17 of last season to suffer a third defeat, and that only came in a meaningless Week 17 contest. Removing the first-team All-Pro back from the equation could spell doom for an offense that has taken a step back from its 2016 version.
Alfred Morris has served as Elliott’s primary backup this season, with Darren McFadden being a healthy scratch throughout this year. But McFadden, who re-signed with the Cowboys this offseason, figures to be a bigger part of the operation if Elliott indeed serves this suspension this season.
Patriots Sign TE Will Tye To Practice Squad
The Patriots made a notable addition to the taxi squad on Thursday. Former Giants and Jets tight end Will Tye has been added to the team’s 10-man group, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes (on Twitter). 
Tye met with the Patriots on Wednesday and it didn’t take long for a deal to come together. It was expected that Tye would land a 53-man roster spot somewhere in the NFL, so this is a bit of a boon for the Pats. Terms of his deal are not yet known, but it would make sense for him to be earning more than your average p-squad player.
Tye, 25, was a serviceable tight end for the Giants in 2015 and 2016. He appeared to be in line for a decent-sized role when he landed with the Jets earlier this month, but things did not work out that way. Instead, Austin Seferian-Jenkins heated up while Tye slipped on the depth chart.
The tight end met with the Chiefs and Ravens after getting cut by the Jets, but he did not sign with either club. Now, the Pats have Tye on the practice field and the timing is probably not coincidental. The Patriots face the Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
NFC East Notes: Cousins, 49ers, Cowboys
With the Redskins playing the Niners this week, Kirk Cousins is getting swarmed with questions about his history – and potential future – with Kyle Shanahan. During a conference call with reporters, Cousins said that the Shanahans’ plan in 2012 was to develop him, play him in the preseason, then trade him for picks to help the Redskins build for the future (Twitter link via Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee).
Fortunately for the Redskins, Mike Shanahan and his son did not follow through on that plan. And, fortunately for the 49ers, it doesn’t sound like Cousins is holding a grudge for any of that.
Here’s more on Cousins plus other news out of the NFC East:
- It’s not just the Niners that could land Cousins in free agency this offseason. Mike Sando of ESPN.com weighed the possibility of the Redskins signal caller signing with several different QB-needy teams, including the Jets. The Jets, of course, have no plausible solution at quarterback going forward and free agency could be their answer if they don’t like the QBs in their draft range this year. Sando also considers teams like the Dolphins, Browns, Bills, Jaguars, and Vikings as possibilities.
- Redskins coach Jay Gruden readily admits that it could be difficult for the team to keep Cousins this offseason (link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). “At the end of the day this is a business and contracts are what they are,” Gruden said. “Players have agents and the player is always going to do what he thinks is best for himself and the family. Kirk is a great guy and we intend on keeping him. That is the plan, I would think. I’m sure not just San Francisco, if he was a free agent, I’m sure there’s a lot of teams that would be coming after him, not just San Francisco. The more tape that Kirk puts on film that he performs well like he has the last couple weeks, the harder it will be to keep him around but I think we’ll do the best we can to keep him.”
- Cowboys coach Jason Garrett says that Stephen Paea‘s decision to retire was “all about not being able to play any more to the level he felt like he wanted to play at,” (Twitter link via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News). Paea was dealing with a knee injury that was affecting his performance and decided to hang ’em up on Wednesday.
- Former Redskins GM Scot McCloughan believes that Colin Kaepernick should be playing. “You know, I’m not gonna get into the politics about it, because I’m not in an office right now where I’m around it every day. I just know this: when I was in Seattle, we had some great battles, the 49ers and Seahawks. Some with Alex [Smith], and then Alex left and then Colin took over. Colin’s a good football player,” McCloughan said to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. “From the talent standpoint, no doubt about it, he should be in the league. No doubt about it.”
Latest On Cardinals RB David Johnson
The Cardinals have a new running back in Adrian Peterson and it sounds like they’re going to be leaning on him for a while. The “earliest” that Johnson could conceivably return to the field is around Thanksgiving, coach Bruce Arians tells SiriusXM NFL Radio (link via Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic). 
[RELATED: Cardinals Acquire Adrian Peterson From Saints]
The Cardinals take on the Texans on Nov. 19, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, before facing the Jaguars the following week. Only under the best of circumstances will we see Johnson in uniform by then. In theory, Johnson is eligible to come off of IR for Nov. 9 against the Seahawks, but that’s apparently not in the cards.
On the plus side, Johnson says everything is going according to plan so far.
“Rehab’s going great,” Johnson said on Wednesday. “Just got my cast. Feeling good.”
Last year, Johnson was the Cardinals’ top offensive weapon as he totaled over 2,100 yards from scrimmage and scored 20 touchdowns. The Cardinals are hoping that Peterson can recapture some of his old magic and restore some of what Johnson provided to the offense.
Giants Ban DRC Indefinitely
Near the end of business on Wednesday, it seemed like things were heading in a more positive direction between the Giants and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Apparently, there’s still some healing to be done between the team and the cornerback. The Giants announced on Thursday morning that DRC has been “suspended indefinitely.” 
The suspension isn’t truly indefinite since the CBA dictates a four-game maximum ban for conduct detrimental to the team. But, at minimum, it sounds like he will not be in action for this Sunday’s contest against the Broncos in Denver. He’ll lose out on $410K in base salary for every game that he misses.
Things got heated between DRC and the team starting last Friday when he walked out of a team activity. Then, during Sunday’s loss to the Chargers, he became visibly angry on the sidelines and walked to the locker room. This week, Ben McAdoo told him he would not be active for the Denver game. Then, DRC walked out of a defensive meeting on Wednesday, resulting in the suspension.
In the aftermath, Rodgers-Cromartie was saying all of the right things, so it seemed like this would be patched up rather quickly. That’s not the case, however, and DRC’s status with the team is now up in the air.
Adrian Peterson: I Did Not Request Trade
Adrian Peterson is happy to have left the Saints. But, he also says that he did not force his way into a trade sending him to the Cardinals. 
“I’ll be lying to you to say that I didn’t want a change of scenery after four weeks of seeing how things played out,” Peterson said (via ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss). “So, yeah, it was something that I was praying about — ‘Hey, God, I need you to answer this prayer for me. Are you listening to me?’ But in the midst of that, I was still tuned in and locked in. I had a great day of practice Monday, great day of practice. It was hot, too. It was outside. It was a good day. It was rough, but I was still locked in and taking care of my business, and the prayer was answered.”
Peterson is jazzed about the fresh start, but it’s not clear exactly what the Cardinals will be able to get out of him. Last year, Peterson spent the majority of the season hurt and averaged only 1.9 yards per carry when on the field. Meanwhile, he’s not getting any younger and while some quarterbacks seem to age like fine wine, running backs tend to age like seafood. Despite what the critics have to say, the 32-year-old insists that he has plenty left in the tank.
“I have so much left,” Peterson said. “I look to play at least four to five more years, God willing. I have a lot left in the tank. Stay tuned and you guys will be able to see that first-hand.”
We’ll soon find out what Peterson is capable of, starting with Sunday’s game against the Bucs.
Jets Work Out DE Armonty Bryant
Former Lions defensive end Armonty Bryant worked out for the Jets on Wednesday, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Bryant was released by Detroit just before he was due to return from a four-game suspension. 
Bryant has been banned by the NFL for three times in the past year. The most recent suspension was for a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.
Despite playing in just five games in 2016, Bryant managed to tally three sacks. In the previous season, he racked up 5.5 sacks across 14 games. He is not a world-beater, but he could be a viable option for the Jets as they look to fortify their edge rushing depth.
On Tuesday, the Jets auditioned former Bucs defensive end Jacquies Smith.
Latest On Giants’ DRC
On Wednesday, the Giants suspended Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie after he got into an argument with coach Ben McAdoo. We now have some additional information on how things came to a head between the two. 
[RELATED: Giants Work Out Several WRs]
The issues between McAdoo and DRC started last Friday, when the cornerback walked out of the team’s “recovery day” session, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano (Twitter link) reports. Then, during Sunday’s loss to the Chargers, the cornerback threw his helmet down on the sideline and walked off the field. On Tuesday, DRC was informed that he would not be active for the upcoming game against the Broncos. On Wednesday, DRC bailed on a defensive team meeting, prompting the ban.
Despite everything that went on, the Giants have no plans to release or trade Rodgers-Cromartie, Graziano hears. Instead, they plan to welcome him once he has served his punishment. And, for his part, DRC says he’ll report to the Giants on Thursday (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson).
Giants Work Out Several WRs
In case you haven’t heard, the Giants are on the lookout for wide receiver help. On Wednesday, the Giants worked out a host of potential replacements, including Philly Brown, Demarcus Ayers, Kalif Raymond, Jeremy Ross, and Canaan Severin. 
[RELATED: Giants Suspend CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie]
Of course, no one in the group offers the same name value as injured stars Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall. But, here in mid-October, options are limited. Brown, a former standout at Ohio State, may offer the most potential of anyone in the group. He had 31 catches for 447 yards and four touchdowns in 2015 for the Panthers, though his yards-per-catch average dipped sharply in 2016.
If Sterling Shepard cannot go in Week 6, the Giants will have only Roger Lewis, Travis Rudolph, Tavarres King, and Ed Eagan at wide receiver.
Bengals TE Tyler Eifert Done For Year?
Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert is deciding whether to have the third back surgery of his career, sources tell Field Yates and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). If Eifert has the operation, it will end his season after just two appearances.
When healthy, Eifert is one of the NFL’s most dynamic tight ends. Unfortunately, his career has been marred by back, knee, and ankle problems. He missed half of the 2016 season and nearly all of the 2014 season due to injury. In 2015, when he appeared in all but three games, he caught 52 passes for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns en route to his first Pro Bowl selection.
The 27-year-old is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency next spring after his fifth-year option expires. The Bengals have not allowed a Pro Bowl player under the age of 32 to leave via free agency since 2011, but Eifert’s medical history likely prevented the two sides from agreeing to an extension over the summer.
With a productive and season, Eifert was likely looking at a multi-year deal with a $10MM+ average annual value. If his 2017 campaign ends here in October, he won’t come anywhere near those figures.