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.
Cowboys Notes: Bryant, Butler
- The Cowboys, perhaps unsurprisingly, don’t have any interest in re-signing veteran wide receiver Dez Bryant, as executive Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan (Twitter link via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News). “Don’t necessarily see that at this moment, but we’re always looking for ways to improve,” Jones said. “Obviously we’re focused on the guys that are on our team at the moment.” Dallas is currently fielding arguably the league’s worst receiving corps, as complementary options such as Cole Beasley, Tavon Austin, Deonte Thompson, and Allen Hurns top the club’s depth chart. Bryant, though, wouldn’t be a clear improvement after a disappointing 2017 campaign. Now 29 years old, Bryant has been linked to multiple clubs this offseason, but only came close to a contact with the Browns, who could still opt to sign him.
- Speaking of Bryant, the veteran receiver was a factor in Brice Butler re-signing with the Cowboys this week, per Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram, who notes Bryant told Butler to head back to Dallas if the opportunity presented itself. As Hill tweets, the Cowboys called Butler after a Week 1 loss to the Panthers, so his addition was in the works for awhile. Butler, who had spent his entire career in Dallas before signing with the Cardinals this spring, signed a two-year deal, per Calvin Watkins of The Athletic (Twitter link). He’ll earn the veteran minimum of $790K in 2018.
NFL Workout Updates: 9/18/18
Here’s the latest from the NFL workout circuit on a busy Tuesday. All links to NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted.
Arizona Cardinals
- LB Kennan Gilchrist, Hayes Pullard (Twitter link via Sirius XM’s Adam Caplan)
Atlanta Falcons
- CB Taveze Calhoun, CB Taurean Nixon, CB Malik Reaves (link)
Buffalo Bills
- DT Michael Bennett, DT Quinton Dial, QB Tyler Ferguson, CB Michael Hunter, OL Austin Pasztor, WR Hunter Sharp, WR Brandon Shippen, OL Jylan Ware (link)
Carolina Panthers
- T Isaiah Battle, TE Blake Bell, TE Billy Brown, TE Kyle Carter, T Roubbens Joseph, T Michael Ola, QB Dalton Sturm, T Darrell Williams (link)
Cleveland Browns
- WR Bennie Fowler, WR Dontrelle Inman, LB Azeem Victor (link)
Dallas Cowboys
- CB Jeremy Boykins, WR Chad Hansen, LB Ufomba Kamalu, WR Justice Liggins, DE Cameron Malveaux, WR Francis Owusu, T William Poehls, DT Christian Ringo, DT Adolphus Washington (link)
Detroit Lions
- DT Darius Kilgo (via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, on Twitter)
Houston Texans
- RB Matthew Dayes, DE Anthony Lanier, RB Jeremy McNichols, CB Herb Waters, CB D.J. White, WR Isaac Whitney (link)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- T Gerhard de Beer, T Christian DiLauro, T Antonio Garcia, WR Francis Owusu, WR Brandon Reilly, WR Travis Rudolph (link)
Kansas City Chiefs
- TE Jerell Adams, TE Nick Keizer, TE David Wells, , (via Caplan, on Twitter)
Los Angeles Chargers
- G Spencer Drango, T Jamar McGloster (via Caplan, on Twitter)
Los Angeles Rams
- G Ian Silberman, T David Steinmetz, T Darrell Williams (link)
New England Patriots
- QB Kyle Allen, RB Andre Ellington, RB Charcandrick West (via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, on Twitter)
New Orleans Saints
- LB Jonathan Freeny, LB Josh Keyes, LB Darnell Sankey, LB Martrell Spaight (via Caplan, on Twitter)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- CB De’Vante Bausby, DE Hunter Dimick, DT Sealver Siliga, LB Emmanuel Smith, CB Herb Waters, LB Antwione Williams (via Caplan, on Twitter)
Tennessee Titans
- CB Makinton Dorleant, DT Darius Kilgo, DT Dee Liner, DT Jamie Meder, S Josh Robinson, CB Henre’ Toliver (link)
Washington Redskins
- G Kofi Amichia, G Jamil Douglas, T Chris Durant, C Jake Eldrenkamp, T Justin Evans, G Kaleb Johnson (link)
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/18/18
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: WR Julian Williams
Arizona Cardinals
- Cut: DT Garrison Smith
Buffalo Bills
- Signed from practice squad: CB Ryan Lewis
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived: S Tyree Robinson
Detroit Lions
- Waived: OL Jamil Demby
- Waived from injured reserve: S Marcus Cromartie
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: S Isaiah Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: WR Stacy Coley
Oakland Raiders
- Signed from practice squad: LB Shilique Calhoun
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed from practice squad: RB Josh Adams
- Waived: WR DeAndre Carter
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: CB Kenneth Durden
- Signed from practice squad: RB Dalyn Dawkins
- Waived: LB Aaron Wallace
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/18/18
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad updates.
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Nigel Harris
- Cut: LB B.J. Bello
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DB Taveze Calhoun
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Michael Hunter, WR Hunter Sharp
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DT Adolphus Washington
- Cut: DT Aziz Shittu
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Isaac Whitney
- Cut: WR Malachi Dupre
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: RB Jeremy McNichols
- Cut: QB Phillip Walker
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE David Wells
Los Angeles Rams
- Cut: TE Temarrick Hemingway, QB Luis Perez
- Signed: T Darrell Williams
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Jace Billingsley
- Placed on practice squad IR: WR Riley McCarron
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Lavon Coleman
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Darius Kilgo, WR Cameron Batson, TE Anthony Firkser
- Cut: TE Jerome Cunningham
Cowboys To Sign WR Brice Butler
The Cowboys have reunited with wide receiver Brice Butler. Saad Yousuf of The Athletic was the first to report the news on Monday (Twitter link). 
Butler, 28, began his career with the Raiders but spent the 2014-17 seasons with the Cowboys. He was never a focal point of the club’s offense, as he averaged just 16 receptions, 269 yards, and two touchdowns during those four campaigns, but he offers familiarity with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan‘s scheme. Butler inked a two-year deal with the Cardinals this offseason but failed to make it through final cutdowns.
Dallas currently fields one of the league’s worst receiving units, as its depth chart is filled with complementary options such as Cole Beasley, Allen Hurns, Tavon Austin, Terrance Williams, Deonte Thompson, and rookie Michael Gallup. Through two games, Beasley leads the club in receptions (nine) and yards (86), while Austin is the only Cowboys receiver to catch a touchdown pass.
Cowboys Were Not Interested In Gordon
- Robinson also debunks the notion the Cowboys were pursuing Gordon. Both Robinson and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill (Twitter link) report the Cowboys had “no interest” in the 27-year-old receiver. Although Dallas is thinner at wide receiver (in terms of reliable producers) than just about any franchise, the team was not exploring a Gordon deal — contrary to a previous report that indicated it was. Perhaps brief conversations involved Gordon, per Clarence Hill of The Athletic (on Twitter), but the front office didn’t approach Jason Garrett about that prospect.