Minor NFL Transactions: 11/6/17
Today’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on injured reserve: DT Brian Price
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed off waivers: CB D.J. White
Los Angeles Rams
- Released from IR: WR Bradley Marquez
New Orleans Saints
- Claimed off waivers: OT Bryce Harris
- Released: DT John Hughes
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: TE Logan Paulsen
Ezekiel Elliott Rumors: Monday
All parties involved in the Ezekiel Elliott saga say they are are not interested in a settlement. However, on Sunday, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reported that Elliott’s team has indeed been pushing for a compromise.
Will we see a settlement in which Elliott accepts something less than a six-game ban? It still seems highly unlikely given the comments made by the NFL and Elliott’s desire to clear his name.
For now, things remain in limbo as the two sides duke it out in the courts. We’ll keep track of the latest here:
- The next hearing on the Elliott injunction will take place at 2pm ET/1pm CT on Thursday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit announced. There might not be enough time for a ruling to come down before Sunday, so it seems like Elliott could be able to suit up on Sunday against the Falcons, regardless of the outcome. Thanks to an administrative stay, Elliott was able to suit up this past Sunday against the Chiefs. The running back finished out with 93 yards and one touchdown off of 27 carries.
- A hearing was not originally supposed to occur on the pending Elliott motion and the running back’s representatives see it as a positive development in their favor, Mike Florio of PFT hears (Twitter link).
- Elliott perhaps caught a break in avoiding Denny Chin or Barrington Parker as the judge in his upcoming hearing, sports attorney Daniel Wallach (on Twitter) notes. Chin and Parker both ruled in the NFL’s favor during the Deflategate saga.
Ezekiel Elliott Still Pushing For Settlement
While the NFL and NFLPA haven’t shown any inclination to pursue a settlement in Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott‘s suspension case, Elliott and his attorneys have indeed been pushing for some sort of settlement, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports. While it’s unclear how many banned games Elliott and his team have offered to the league, the NFL is not interested in any agreement. Elliott will play against the Chiefs this week after being granted an administrative stay, and could potentially be available for several months if he wins an injunction from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Elliott, Beasley Updates
- In other Cowboys news, another pivotal member of the offense is set to play in Week 9 as well. Wide receiver Cole Beasley cleared his final step of concussion protocol today after taking the week trying to recover from his head slamming to the ground in last Sunday’s game versus Washington, according to Brandon George of Dallas News. Beasley stated that he didn’t really suffer any concussion symptoms throughout the week, but was definitely feeling the effects of the contact during the game. “It wasn’t crazy,” Beasley said. “It was just kind of some dizziness when I hit the ground and it only lasted for a little while. I was able to pass most of the concussion test stuff, but some of the stuff we did it started making me kind of nauseous and made feel like I was going to throw up and they held me out.”
Latest On Colin Kaepernick
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and Texans owner Bob McNair, amongst others, will be deposed and asked to turn over all cell phone records and emails in relation to the Colin Kaepernick collusion case against the NFL, a league source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Facebook link). Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and owner 49ers Jed York are also among those on the deposition list, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) hears.
Other owners, team officials, and league officials may also be deposed, but those are the individuals confirmed for now.
Here’s more on Kaepernick:
- Colin Kaepernick’s attorney believes that the quarterback will sign with an NFL team soon. “I think within the next 10 days somebody will sign him,” Mark Geragos told Adam Carolla earlier this week (transcript via BleacherReport.com). “I think somebody’s gonna sign him. I think the NFL has to come to their senses, and realize every day that goes by just proves the collusion case even more.” Geragos may have confidence, but there’s no reason to expect a Kaepernick signing anytime soon. A potential spot opened up this week when Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending ACL tear, but Houston opted to sign Matt McGloin and T.J. Yates. For now, Tom Savage is the starter in Houston and there are no known plans for the team to audition Kaepernick.
- NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart deferred to the NFLPA on the topic of having Kaepernick at the next meeting between players and owners (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). “We’d welcome his participation, but that’s an issue for the players to determine,” he said.
Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott To Play Sunday
Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will suit up this weekend against the Chiefs. On Friday morning, the running back’s camp won a crucial decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (Twitter link via attorney Daniel Wallach). 
The motion for a brief administrative stay will allow Elliott to play in the Cowboys’ upcoming game, but a six-game suspension still looms. He’ll remain in limbo until a three-judge panel rules on his fate. After that ruling, we may finally have some finality on the Elliott saga, though it’s hard to bank on that given the back-and-forth nature of the legal process so far.
There were rumblings of a potential settlement in October, but both sides have gone on the record to say that they are not interested in meeting in the middle. The NFL does not want to set a precedent of players reducing suspensions by using the pressure of the legal system. Elliott, meanwhile, is determined to clear his name of any association with domestic violence.
Elliott, 22, has 690 yards off of 164 carries, giving him the third-highest total in the league and 4.2 yards per attempt. He’s also tied for the league lead with six rushing touchdowns.
If Elliott’s six-game suspension is put into effect after the Chiefs game, he’ll be forced to miss games against the Falcons, Eagles, Chargers, Redskins, Giants, and Raiders. He would not be eligible to return until Week 16 against the Seahawks.
Practice Squad Updates: 11/2/17
Today’s practice squad moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Trey Williams
- Cut: DE Stansly Maponga
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Hunter Sharp
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: C Cornelius Edison
- Released: S Jack Tocho
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Kalif Raymond
Latest On Ezekiel Elliott Appeal
In the middle rounds of what’s been a lengthy fight, the NFLPA and NFL have fired additional salvos this week after Ezekiel Elliott‘s suspension was restored on Monday.
The NFLPA’s requested an emergency motion for an injunction with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in hopes of expediting this process so Elliott can play either this week or shortly thereafter, legal analyst Daniel Wallach reports (Twitter links). But the NFL has fired off a counter effort in hopes of squashing this.
The league filed a motion arguing against the emergency injunction, Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk reports. The NFLPA’s 14-page argument for the injunction, which would allow Elliott to play while the case continues, is Southern District judge Katherine Polk Failla ignored “numerous cases” of courts allowing athletes to play while their post-suspension appellate efforts proceed, Mike Florio of PFT reports. Florio adds Failla’s husband is a partner at the firm that helped craft the CBA’s labor agreement, one that gives Roger Goodell full autonomy to levy discipline, but the NFLPA’s motion did not mention this.
Conversely, the NFL is arguing Failla’s ruling denying Elliott the preliminary injunction he sought wasn’t “a close call.” Should nothing come down on the Elliott front by Saturday, he will not play against the Chiefs this week. He stands a good chance of missing that game. As of now, Elliott is suspended through Week 14.
The NFLPA is arguing by Elliott missing games, he will suffer irreparable harm by this suspension beginning without the 22-year-old’s full due process being afforded to him. Because once the suspension includes games missed, Elliott’s effort only becomes about recouping game checks and restoring his reputation.
Multiple courts have denied this assertion in the past month, so this is looking like a last-ditch effort for the running back to see the field before mid-December.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott Files Appeal
Judge Katherine Failla — the same judge who on Monday dissolved Ezekiel Elliott‘s restraining order against the NFL — has denied the Cowboys running back’s request for a stay, which would have allowed him to stay on the field while his case is sorted out, according to Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
The decision was entirely expected, and Failla indicated as such in her ruling: “For the Court to grant the NFLPA’s motion for a stay at this stage would in effect be to reverse its decision of last night,” wrote Failla, per legal analyst Daniel Wallach (Twitter link). Elliot’s motion requested an answer from Failla by 7pm Eastern, and noted he and his team would “have no choice but to seek relief from the Second Circuit,” and that’s exactly what they’ve done.
Elliott’s appeal is already on the second circuit’s docket, tweets Hairopoulos, and he’s requested an “expedited” process, per Wallach (Twitter link). Essentially, Elliott wants his appeal paused for a third time while the case plays out, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Still, there’s little to no chance that Elliott will be available in Week 9, meaning the Cowboys will turn to a combination of Alfred Morris, Darren McFadden, and Rod Smith in the backfield. Dallas was reportedly considering running back additions prior to today’s trade deadline.
Cowboys Looking To Trade For RB?
Ezekiel Elliott‘s latest court date did not go the way the Cowboys wanted, and as of now, the standout running back is suspended for Week 9. The Cowboys have two of the most experienced backups in the game in Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden, but they appear to be interested in augmenting their situation further.
Dallas is talking about trades for a running back, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). While Rapoport doesn’t envision the Cowboys going through with a deal, he wonders aloud if the team would be interested in making a trade to bring DeMarco Murray back.
The Cowboys are obviously not averse to splashy transactions, and Murray’s proven he can thrive in Texas, but this would cost the team additional capital to add to a position that already has two seasoned backs in the waiting in case Elliott is suspended through Week 14. Murray, however, has proven to be an upgrade on Morris or McFadden.
McFadden, though, hasn’t been active all season despite re-signing with the Cowboys in March. Elliott’s dominance the past two weeks has helped key a turnaround for the Cowboys, who are now 4-3 and in the thick of the NFC playoff race.