Ingram, Edelman To Return In Week 5
As we approach Week 5 of the NFL season, several NFL players are returning from four-game bans. As noted by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), that list includes notables such as Saints running back Mark Ingram, Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict, Cowboys defensive tackle David Irving, Chargers defensive tackle Corey Liuget, Colts running back Robert Turbin, Raiders cornerback Daryl Worley, Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith. 
Players do not count against a team’s roster max while suspended, so clubs will have to make room for these players before adding them for Week 5. There will be some tough decisions to make, but the upside is clear in most of these cases, particularly when it comes to offensive weapons like Ingram and Edelman or defensive pillars like Burfict and Irving.
Alvin Kamara should remain the focal point of the Saints’ running game, but the return of Ingram will give opposing defenses something else to think about. And, as we saw in the first three weeks of the Patriots’ season, Edelman has been sorely missed.
Cowboys Demote Terrance Williams; Is Earl Thomas Trade Still On The Table?
ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds that the Seahawks are still asking for a second-round pick for Thomas, and that the Chiefs remain interested (though Kansas City does not want to give up a second-rounder). The Cowboys, of course, offered a second-round pick to Seattle earlier this year, but the Seahawks wanted more from Dallas at the time since the two teams were set to play each other last week. Now that the Cowboys-Seahawks matchup has taken place, perhaps the Seahawks will be more willing to consider the Cowboys’ offer, but Rapoport indicates (video link) that the Seahawks want two second round picks in exchange for Thomas, which seems like an especially lofty asking price.
- Jane Slater of the NFL Network reports that Cowboys WR Terrance Williams will be inactive today, and that the recently re-signed Brice Butler will be leaned upon more heavily as a result (Twitter link). Williams, the most expensive receiver on Dallas’ roster, may be facing a suspension stemming from his May arrest and recently missed practice, though that absence was reportedly an excused one and was unrelated to the possible suspension. Williams, though, has just two catches for 18 yards this season, and the team wants to give someone else a shot.
Williams Had Excused Absence, Nothing Looming
- Terrance Williams recently missed practice, and rumors began circulating online that the Cowboys wideout was facing a suspension, but those rumors are untrue according to Calvin Watkins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Watkins reports that Williams, who has been lightly used this year despite recently signing an extension, was given an excused absence from practice.
Cowboys, Packers Tried To Sign Brian Price
Recently, the Cowboys and Packers both tried to reunite with defensive tackle Brian Price, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. To keep him from being poached from their practice squad, the Browns quadrupled his salary, boosting his pay from $7,600 a week to $37,058 a week. 
Price missed the Cowboys’ final cut this year and subsequently hooked on with the Raiders. But, after the Raiders added interior defensive linemen Johnathan Hankins and Clinton McDonald, he was squeezed out. The Browns signed him to the taxi squad last Friday, and calls from two of his former teams – the Cowboys and Packers – soon followed.
The Browns are leaning on recent additions Carl Davis and Devaroe Lawrence as their reserve defensive tackles behind starters Larry Ogunjobi and Trevon Coley. Both have talent, but neither offers the pedigree of Price, who was on track to be a high draft pick in 2016 before he tossed an official to the ground in a fit of rage. The pay bump for Price indicates that he may not be far off from a promotion to Cleveland’s varsity squad.
Practice Squad Updates: 9/25/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DB Robertson Daniel
- Released: DE Myles Humphrey
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DT Christian Ringo
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Jerome Cunningham
- Released: RB Donnel Pumphrey
New England Patriots
- Signed: S David Jones
- Released: WR Jace Billingsley
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Arrion Springs
- Released: QB J.T. Barrett
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Amba Etta-Tawo
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DE Ryan Delaire
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Azeem Victor
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/25/18
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: OL Jeremiah Sirles
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DL Caraun Reid
- Placed on IR: DL Datone Jones
Houston Texans
- Signed: DE Daeshon Hall (from 49ers’ practice squad)
- Promoted from practice squad: OT David Sharpe
- Placed on IR: LB Dylan Cole, WR Bruce Ellington
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Justin Jackson
- Released from IR: CB Craig Mager
- Waived: RB Detrez Newsome
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Martrell Spaight
- Placed on IR: DE William Hayes
- Promoted from practice squad: DE Jonathan Woodard
- Waived: WR Tanner McEvoy
New England Patriots
- Signed: RB Kenjon Barner
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Arrion Springs
New York Giants
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Garrett Dickerson
- Waived/Injured: WR/KR Kaelin Clay
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted from practice squad: DE Branden Jackson
- Waived: TE Darrell Daniels
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Andrew Adams
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: OL Kevin Pamphile
Sean Lee Out 'At Least' A Few Weeks
- The Cowboys‘ defensive fortunes have generally taken hits when Sean Lee isn’t available, and the linebacker’s latest absence comes at a bad time for the 1-2 team. Dallas will be without its top linebacker for a few weeks “at least,” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Lee suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday. This latest setback involves Lee’s right hamstring. A left hamstring issue caused him to miss time last season. First-round pick Leighton Vander Esch now stands to see a more prominent role in the near future.
- Dallas remains the favorite to acquire Earl Thomas, in the event the Seahawks trade him, Terez Paylor of Yahoo.com writes. Thomas drew a penalty for bowing at the Cowboys’ bench following an interception in Seattle’s Week 3 win over Dallas. The Cowboys have offered a second-round pick for Thomas, but the Seahawks still want more. The safety nonetheless heard more rumblings about a deal with Dallas on Sunday, though. “Yeah, of course, I heard chatter. People were coming up to me and saying a trade might happen,” Thomas said. “Even pregame, a couple Cowboys coaches came up to me, I don’t know if they were playing psychological games, but they were like, ‘You ready for the trade tomorrow?” He remains a Seahawk, but the situation’s become quite strange.
Bengals Sign DL Adolphus Washington
The Bengals have signed defensive lineman Adolphus Washington from the Cowboys’ practice squad, as Mike Florio of PFT tweets. Washington was a third-round pick of the Bills in 2016, but has yet to do much at the pro level and missed the team’s final cut this year.
The Bills reportedly tried trading Washington last season, but found no takers. That’s no surprise given that he has failed to perform and was arrested last summer on weapons charges.
In two-plus years with the team, Washington started 21 games for the Bills and racked up 56 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three passes defended while being used primarily as a run-stuffer. With the Bengals, he’ll try to fill the void after Ryan Glasgow was lost to a season-ending knee injury.
Seahawks Considering Heavy Fine For Earl Thomas; Chiefs Could Trade For Him
After Seahawks star safety Earl Thomas held out from all offseason work in the hopes of landing a new contract, he ultimately reported to the team and has played in Seattle’s first two games this season. But the relationship between player and team is not in a good place, as Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reports that Thomas missed practice twice this week and that the Seahawks are considering fining Thomas a significant amount for conduct detrimental to the team. No final decision has been made in that regard.
Of course, trade rumors have swirled around Thomas for months, as he is entering the last year of a four-year deal and the Seahawks are in something of a rebuilding phase. If the Seahawks are going to trade Thomas, it has long appeared as though the Cowboys will be their trading partner. Dallas expressed the most interest in Thomas this offseason, having offered a second-rounder to Seattle in exchange for Thomas, and the Cowboys currently employ former Seahawks DC Kris Richard, who is a big Thomas fan (Richard has also been calling plays for the Dallas defense this year). Such a trade would also represent a homecoming for Thomas, a Texas native who played his college ball at the University of Texas. Indeed, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported this morning that there are several people within the Cowboys organization who hope that the two sides will rekindle trade talks in short order.
However, Mortensen says that it is a “super long shot” that Thomas lands in Dallas, although he says the Chiefs have emerged as a potential landing spot. Seattle has engaged in trade talks with both Dallas and Kansas City, and it could be that Eric Berry‘s long-term outlook is creating a need for the 2-0 Chiefs to enter the bidding for Thomas. Kansas City has $11MM of cap space, so it could absorb the remainder of Thomas’ $8.5MM 2018 salary, and the team’s long-term prospects could be bright enough to convince Thomas to sign a multi-year deal.
If the Seahawks fall to 0-3 today, it stands to reason that they would be more willing to part with their top trade chip, as they would only net a 2020 third-round compensatory selection if they were to keep Thomas through 2018 and let him walk in free agency. Plus, it seems that the tension between Thomas and Seattle is beyond a point where the two sides would consider extending their relationship, so it may make sense for the Seahawks to move on now.
Albert Breer of TheMMQB says several teams are monitoring the Thomas situation, and there is a sense that he could be traded before the October 30 deadline.
Terrance Williams Facing Suspension
The Cowboys expect wide receiver Terrance Williams to receive a two-to-four game suspension stemming from his May arrest in the near future, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.
Williams won’t be handed a ban before Dallas’ Sunday tilt against Seattle, as the NFL doesn’t feel allowing a player to practice all week only to be suspended on a Friday is in the competitive interests of the game. But the feeling inside the Cowboys’ organization is that Williams will likely be notified of his impending punishment early next week, per Moore.
Williams was arrested in May after allegedly crashing his vehicle into a light pole, but he was never charged with driving under the influence. Instead, Williams faced a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication, a violation which was dismissed after Williams completed an alcohol awareness course and paid for damages, but the NFL still holds the right to issue its own response.
The Cowboys knew a Williams suspension was coming when they re-signed fellow wideout Brice Butler earlier this week, reports Moore. Butler joins a Dallas receiver depth chart that also includes Cole Beasley, Tavon Austin, Deonte Thompson, Michael Gallup, and Allen Hurns.