Jets Sign WR Kenbrell Thompkins
The Jets have signed wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins. To make room, the team waived/injured safety Doug Middleton. 
Thompkins may have a shot at sticking on the roster after the Jets saw Quincy Enunwa suffer a season-ending neck injury and return specialist Lucky Whitehead went down with a broken foot. Right now, things are pretty dire in New York with Robby Anderson, Marquess Wilson, Charone Peake, and rookies ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen atop the depth chart. Jalin Marshall won’t be able to join the team until October thanks to his four-game ban.
Thompson spent time with the Jets in 2015 and totaled 17 passes for 165 yards. His best NFL season was his first – he had 32 grabs for 466 yards and four scores with the Patriots in 2013.
Seahawks To Sign CB Tramaine Brock
The Seahawks have agreed to a one-year deal with cornerback Tramaine Brock, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Seahawks met with Brock on Tuesday and it didn’t take long for a deal to come together. 
The Seahawks were actually among the teams with interest in Brock back in April, but clubs stopped calling in the wake of domestic violence allegations. When he was cleared of all charges last week, as many as 12 teams came calling, including the Seahawks, Texans, and Vikings. The incumbent 49ers were discussing a new deal with him in the spring but they did not circle back to him.
Brock, 28, spent the last two seasons as a starter for the Niners. While the free agent cornerback market still features some big names (like Darrelle Revis), Brock stood as the most talented one of the bunch at this juncture of the offseason. The Seahawks didn’t necessarily need Brock, but their famed Legion Of Boom has gotten even deeper with his addition.
Hearing Officer Appointed For Ezekiel Elliott
Harold Henderson has been designated as the hearing officer in Ezekiel Elliott’s appeal, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter links). This may be a good sign for Elliott as Henderson was the officer who reduced Greg Hardy’s suspension from ten games to four in 2015. 
[RELATED: Hearing Date Likely Set For Elliott]
Elliott’s team is expected to try and poke holes in the story of ex-girlfriend Tiffany Thompson, who may have been less-than-forthcoming about one of the encounters in question. Thompson has said that Elliott was physically abusive towards her and NFL investigators are in agreement after viewing photographic evidence from the period in question. Elliott’s camp will argue that the allegations were fabricated by a scorned lover, a route that the NFL is not too pleased with:
“Over the past few days we’ve received multiple reports of the NFLPA spreading derogatory information to the media about the victim in Ezekiel Elliott’s discipline case,” the NFL said in a statement. “It’s a common tactic to attempt to disprove the innocence of the accused by discrediting the victim – in this case Ms. Thompson – when coming forward to report such abuse. Common or not, these tactics are shameful. Efforts to shame and blame victims are often what prevent people from coming forward to report violence and/or seek help in the first place.”
Elliott’s case will likely be heard on August 29th.
Khaseem Greene Has Charges Dropped
Khaseem Greene is in the clear. The gun charge against the former Bears and Chiefs linebacker has been dropped, as Jessica Remo of NJ.com details. 
Greene, 28, was charged with unlawful possession of a handgun in May, prompting the Chiefs to release him from his futures deal. At the time, prosecutors claimed to have surveillance video of Greene handing a gun to someone outside of a nightclub. That position was backed up by the testimony of Jason Sanders, who confessed that Greene handed him the firearm.
Apparently, Sanders recanted his story on the very same day of his confession, but authorities in New Jersey may have kept that part off of the record until today.
“Okay, well you can recant at another time. Not tonight,” one of the detectives told Sanders. “When the prosecutor’s office talks to you about your case you can say that wasn’t Khaseem, I don’t know what I was doing, but tonight this is an official statement. So you have every right as someone who is being charged with a crime to recant any part or all of your statement after your initial statement. Okay?”
Today’s news could pave the way for Greene to get back into the NFL, but he was already on the fringes of the league before the legal issue came about.
Saints’ Delvin Breaux To Undergo Surgery
So much for being trade bait. The Saints have learned that cornerback Delvin Breaux will require surgery for a fractured fibula, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It will take a bit for him to recover and he will be sidelined for the next four to six weeks, meaning that he’ll miss the start of the 2017 season. 
Breaux’s fracture was first diagnosed as a contusion and the slow pace of his recovery led to the Saints putting him on the trading block. Now that the Saints know that it was really a misdiagnosed fractured fibula, the Saints are probably a bit more understanding. Already, the team has fired two team orthopedists over the issue.
The Saints could look into out-of-house cornerback options while Breaux heals up, but they could also stand pat with P.J. Williams, Ken Crowley, Sterling Moore, and first-round pick Marshon Lattimore at cornerback. Recently, we heard that Williams and Crowley profile as the starters.
Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott Files Appeal
Ezekiel Elliott‘s fight is officially on. The Cowboys running back formally appealed his six-game ban on Tuesday, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter) reports. 
Elliott’s appeal will underscore elements of the alleged victim’s testimony that may have been incomplete or purposely misleading. The NFL has acknowledged some inconsistencies in Tiffany Thompson’s story, but investigators say they have incontrovertible evidence of abuse.
If Elliott does not have the suspension overturned or reduced, he will be sidelined until the team’s Week 8 game against the Redskins on October 29th (the Cowboys have a Week 6 bye). That would leave the Cowboys without their best offensive weapon versus the Giants, Broncos, Cardinals, Rams, Packers, and 49ers.
Elliott will have the assistance of the NFLPA as he looks to have his suspension overturned or reduced.
Extra Points: Dolphins, Chargers, Perryman
Dolphins 2015 second-round pick Jordan Phillips may not be in the team’s long-term plans, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. At one point this offseason, Phillips was being talked up as a key part of the team’s defensive line. Now, he’s practicing as the No. 3 defensive tackle behind fifth-round rookie Davon Godchaux.
There’s still time for Phillips to play with more consistency and passion and earn a starting job alongside Ndamukong Suh, but not everyone in Miami expects that to happen. If he continues trending downward, Jackson hears he won’t be in Miami for the long haul.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman will be out 8-10 weeks after getting surgery to repair his torn ankle ligament, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). That timeline would put Perryman on track for a mid-season return. Perryman suffered the injury in Sunday night’s preseason game.
- Bills wide receiver Jordan Matthews has what the team is calling “a chip fracture in his sternum” and is week to week, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. For now, it sounds like the newly-acquired receiver is not in danger of missing games, but it’s a situation to keep an eye on.
- The Cowboys are working out wide receiver Corey Washington for the second time in training camp, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. It might not be long before he is signed.
Dolphins Work Out Rey Maualuga
The Dolphins are taking a look at linebacker Rey Maualuga, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. He’ll be one of a handful of linebacker auditioning for Miami on Wednesday. 
[RELATED: Dolphins CB Tony Lippett Out For Season]
Maualuga, 30, spent eight seasons with the Bengals before being released in March as a cap casualty. He was a serviceable starter for most of his tenure in Cincinnati, but he was on the field for only 326 snaps in 14 games last year. He rated as the third-worst linebacker in the league, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics.
Still, it’s possible that the USC product could turn things around this year and the Dolphins want to leave no stone unturned after losing two linebackers to season-ending injuries. Without Koa Misi and Raekwon McMillan, the Dolphins could definitely use reinforcements.
Panthers, Thomas Davis Agree To Extension
The Panthers and Thomas Davis have agreed to an extension. It will be a one-year, $6.75MM add-on for 2018, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The new pact also gives him an additional $2MM guaranteed for the coming year plus $1MM guaranteed in 2018.
[RELATED: Panthers Want To Extend OL Andrew Norwell]
Davis, 34, started in all 16 games last season and led all Panthers defenders in snaps. He proved that he has plenty of good football left as he tallied 106 tackles, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and a touchdown.
Many believed that Davis would get the extension he was seeking once GM Dave Gettleman was fired and Marty Hurney was brought back in as the GM on an interim basis. Hurney insisted that this time around, he would not allow his emotional attachment to players to dictate his business decisions. Davis and Hurney do have history together, but Hurney believes that this was the right move to make from a football and business perspective.
Davis is coming off of his second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance. Last year, he graded out the 39th best linebacker in the entire NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. If he can continue to play at that level, the extension will prove to be a win for Carolina. If he declines in 2017, the Panthers can escape the deal pretty easily.
Jets’ Lucky Whitehead Suffers Broken Foot
Lucky Whitehead has not had good fortune this offseason. The wide receiver suffered a broken foot in practice, coach Todd Bowles told reporters. 
Whitehead made national headlines earlier this summer when a case of mistaken identity led to an arrest warrant and his release from the Cowboys. The Jets used their high waiver priority to snag Whitehead after he was dropped by Dallas and, at the time, it seemed like he had a pretty good chance of making the team. Unfortunately, his injury will sideline him for a good chunk of time, meaning that he will not be on the Week 1 53-man roster.
In theory, Whitehead’s injury could help 2016 seventh-round pick Charone Peake and other wide receiver hopefuls in their bid to make the cut. However, the Jets may want to look out-of-house for a return specialist who can offer what Whitehead would have brought to the table.