Packers Re-Sign Ricky Jean-Francois
The Packers have re-signed defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The 30-year-old was released on Sept. 12, but he’ll rejoin the team eight days later. 
Jean-Francois played only six snaps against the Seahawks in Green Bay’s season opener. His release came as a bit of a surprise after the team gave him a one-year, $2MM deal in the offseason, a pact that included a $250K signing bonus. The Packers were eyeing him for years before finally signing him in March.
The defensive tackle started seven games for the Redskins last season. Last year, he saw action on roughly 40% of Washington’s defensive snaps, racking up 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks in that span.
To date, he has appeared in games for four different NFL teams.
Eagles Claim Trae Elston Off Waivers
The Eagles announced that they have claimed safety Trae Elston off waivers from the Bills. He’ll be on the 53-man roster when the Eagles take on the Giants on Sunday. 
The Bills dropped Elston on Tuesday, opting to replace him with fellow safety Robert Blanton on Wednesday morning. A UDFA out of Mississippi last year, Elston spent time with three different clubs in 2016 before Buffalo claimed him off waivers from the Browns. He is still looking for steady work, but on the plus side he has already amassed a solid jersey selection. The 23-year-old saw time in both of the Bills’ games this season with the bulk of his work coming on special teams.
The Eagles have been looking for safety depth and they initially tried to fill that void by signing safety DeAndre Houston-Carson off of the Bears’ practice squad this week, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). They were blocked on that attempt when Chicago bumped him to the 53-man roster, however.
Elston is likely to be on the active roster this weekend with starter Rodney McLeod and reserve defensive back Jaylen Watkins on the mend.
Bills Sign DT Deandre Coleman
The Bills announced that they have signed defensive tackle Deandre Coleman and safety Robert Blanton. The addition of Coleman was necessary given the Bills’ issues in the middle of the defensive line.
The Bills are concerned about the status of Marcell Dareus‘ ankle and he may not be available for Sunday’s contest against the Broncos. Without Dareus, the Bills are expected to use either free agent pickup Cedric Thornton or Adolphus Washington in a starting role. Coleman will help to provide depth behind them while Jerel Worthy remains in concussion protocol.
Blanton, meanwhile, joins the roster just one day after the team dropped fellow safety Trae Elston.
The Bills, who may also be without left tackle Cordy Glenn, will take on the Broncos in Week 3.
Lions Sign DE George Johnson
The Lions have signed defensive end George Johnson. To make room, Detroit has waived fellow defensive lineman Alex Barrett. 
Johnson spent the 2014 season with the Lions, a campaign sandwiched by his two stints with the Buccaneers. He was quietly effective in that season, appearing in all 16 games and earning a positive grade from Pro Football Focus. The Lions are hoping that he can still be an effective pass rusher in 2017.
Johnson’s second stint with the Bucs came to an end earlier this month when he missed the 53-man cutdown. Tampa Bay saved $2.25MM by terminating his deal in advance of Week 1.
In the process, the Bucs get themselves off the hook for his $2.25MM salary, which would have become guaranteed if he was on the roster for Week 1.
Unfortunately, Johnson hasn’t seen the field since the 2015 season. Last August, an ACL tear shut him down for the year.
Saints Sign Darryl Tapp
The Saints re-signed defensive end Darryl Tapp, according to a source who spoke with Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter). Tapp was released by the Saints just after the 53-man cutdown deadline. 
[RELATED: Saints Trade LB Stephone Anthony To Dolphins]
Tapp, 33, appeared in all 16 games for the Saints last year, giving him his third consecutive season of perfect regular season attendance. Although his 17 tackles and half a sack weren’t eye-popping numbers, the advanced metrics were fond of his work. He finished out as the 43rd best edge defender in the NFL last year out of 109 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus. The 78.0 overall score was his best showing since 2012.
Tapp will give the Saints another body in the front seven following Tuesday’s trade which sent linebacker Stephone Anthony to Miami. Tapp will look to get snaps behind starting DEs Alex Okafor and Cameron Jordan.
NFC East Notes: Eagles, Peterson, Giants
The Eagles‘ running game has been dreadful through two games but Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com thinks the team could swing a trade to turn things around.
His list of prospective trade targets starts with dissatisfied Saints running back Adrian Peterson, though he doesn’t envision the veteran having a much bigger role in Philly than he currently does in New Orleans. A return of LeSean McCoy, on the other hand, makes more sense in the writer’s mind. The Bills have repeatedly denied that McCoy is on the block, but Buffalo is clearly rebuilding and it would make sense for them to trade him if the right offer comes along. Vikings running back Latavius Murray also makes the list after he signed on to be Minnesota’s top rusher but lost the gig to rookie Dalvin Cook.
One way or another, the Eagles have to get their running game going in Week 3 and beyond. The Eagles had just 52 total rushing yards from their running backs on Sunday and offseason pickup LeGarrette Blount wound up getting benched against the Chiefs.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- Expecting the Giants to look out-of-house at left tackle? It’s not happening anytime soon, based on what coach Ben McAdoo told reporters. “Ereck ]Flowers] is a young player, he did some good things in the ballgame,’’ McAdoo said (via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post). “He gets singled out. That’s the way it goes in this league. Again, the breakdowns are spread out. It’s not just one player making breakdowns. The breakdowns are spread out. And I’m included. Throw me in there…He gave up a couple sacks, had some pressures in there, but it’s not all Ereck, you can’t put it all on one guy. We need to play better as an offensive unit.’’
- McAdoo has been calling the Giants‘ offensive plays, but is not dismissing the idea of ceding that responsibility, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com notes (on Twitter).
- The fight between Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott and the league office continues. We’re keeping track of today’s latest news here.
- Redskins players were not happy with Su’a Cravens‘ unexpected departure, and that may have played a role in the team closing the door on him this week.
Latest On NFLPA Chief DeMaurice Smith
DeMaurice Smith has been re-elected as executive director of the NFLPA, but the length of his term has yet to be determined, NFLPA president Eric Winston tells PFT. It was initially reported that Smith’s deal would automatically go through 2021 if re-elected. Instead, it could be a three-year extension. 
[RELATED: NFLPA Re-Elects DeMaurice Smith]
The league’s current labor deal goes through March 2021, meaning that a three-year deal would have him exiting at the same time. That’s probably not a practical scenario, so a term taking him through 2023 probably makes more sense. The union plans to decide on Smith’s contract by March 2018.
Now that Smith has defeated lawyer Cyrus Mehri to retain his position, the NFL says it’s eager to get going on CBA talks.
“This is something we think is in both parties’ interest,” league spokesman Joe Lockhart said (link). “It’s certainly not our view that a work stoppage is inevitable. There’s no reason for that. It’s not in the interests of the game.”
In the past, Smith has indicated that a work stoppage at the end of the current CBA is something of an inevitability. Hopefully, both sides will be able to get what they want without a strike or lockout.
Ezekiel Elliott Rumors: Wednesday
Before the start of the season, Ezekiel Elliott‘s legal team won a preliminary injunction against the league, allowing the running back to play while things get hashed out in the courts. The NFL moved for a stay of that injunction with the same judge, but they were denied, allowing Elliott to take the field again in Week 2. The league hasn’t stopped its fight, however, and they’ve advanced the battle to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
What does this all mean for Elliott’ status on Monday night against the Cardinals and beyond? Here’s the latest on Zeke:
- The NFL says that if a stay is granted on the Elliott suspension, and it came late in week, commissioner Roger Goodell would decide when the suspension starts, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. We have two-and-a-half business days to go in the week, but still there’s no guarantee that CA5 will reach a decision in that timeframe. If they do, it will be up to Goodell as to when the six-game ban begins. Given the protracted nature of this struggle between the league office and Elliott, it wouldn’t be surprising if Goodell moved to start the suspension right away if the stay is granted.
- The fact that the Fifth Circuit didn’t feel the need to rule on Tuesday is a good sign for Elliott, one source close to the situation (presumably, on Elliott’s side) tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). At minimum, it seems that the court is not taking the league’s urgent language to heart.
Jets Waive KR/PR Kalif Raymond
There’s little room for error when you’re a punt returner. The Jets announced on Tuesday that they have released Kalif Raymond after his costly punt return fumble over the weekend.
The Jets got shellacked by the Raiders in Oakland and they’re hanging at least some of the blame on Raymond’s shaky hands. He muffed a punt towards the end of the first half and the Raiders quickly turned his error into a touchdown. Instead of going into the locker room down 14-10 (or perhaps in better shape than that, if the Jets ran an effective two minute drill), the Raiders took a 21-10 advantage. Things only got worse in the second act, of course, as Marshawn Lynch threw a dance party and the Raiders won 45-20.
Raymond was cut loose by Denver on cutdown weekend but was claimed off waivers by the Jets the next day. The Jets had top five waiver priority and it’s possible that other clubs submitted claims on him.
Cowboys Waive LB Jayrone Elliott
It was a short stay in Dallas for Jayrone Elliott. The outside linebacker was waived on Tuesday. The move will create room for the return of defensive end Damontre Moore, who was suspended for the first two games of the season. 
Elliott was acquired on Sept. 3 via a trade with the Packers. The Cowboys gave up a 2018 conditional seventh-round pick in the swap and, presumably, those conditions were not met. The Cowboys will keep the seventh-round choice in the spring after essentially renting the linebacker for two games. He did not see time in either contest.
The Cowboys are happy to get Moore back in the lineup, particularly as Anthony Hitchens continues to rehab from a tibial plateau fracture in his right knee.