NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/5/17
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: G Jamil Douglas
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Tony McRae, C Matt Skura
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB Eric Lee
- Released: S B.T. Sanders, CB Marcus Sayles
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: FB Alex Armah
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Ben Braunecker
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Rashard Higgins, CB Darius Hillary, S Kai Nacua
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: LB Mark Nzeocha
- Released: WR Brian Brown
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB LaTroy Lewis
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Ronald Martin
- Released: S Andrew Williamson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: CB Raysean Pringle
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: RB Akeem Hunt
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Joseph Jones, CB Craig Mager
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: TE Johnny Mundt, CB Kevin Peterson
- Released: OL Michael Dunn, DL Louis Trinca-Pasat
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Willie Beavers
- Released: LB Trevor Bates, DT Darius Kilgo
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Nordly Capi, WR Travis Rudolph
New York Jets
- Signed: DL Lawrence Thomas
- Released: DL Patrick Gamble
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Ben Boulware, RB Jeremy McNichols
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: CB Kenneth Durden
Ezekiel Elliott’s Suspension Upheld
Arbitrator Harold Henderson has upheld Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott‘s six-game suspension, per Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Elliott will still play in Week 1 against the Giants, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, as the NFL typically doesn’t implement suspensions when a decision is made after 4pm ET on a Tuesday. Instead, Elliott will begin his suspension in Week 2, and will subsequently miss games against the Broncos, Cardinals, Rams, Packers, 49ers, and Redskins.
Of course, the battle may not yet be concluded even after a yearlong investigation into domestic violence allegations against Elliott, a suspension, and a unsuccessful appeal. Elliott has vowed to take his case to court, and a judge is expected to rule on a restraining order against the NFL by 5pm ET on Friday, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. If that order is accepted, Elliott will likely be available to play out the entire season, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link).
Elliott, the fourth overall selection in the 2016 draft, has accused the NFL of a conspiracy against him, and the dispute has gotten ugly from all angles. Elliott and his camp have cast doubt on the consistency of his accuser’s claims and suggested her motives were profit-based, while the NFL has accused Elliott of victim-shaming. Nevertheless, Elliott plans to fight his ban to the “complete exhaustion of his legal options,” a source tells Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
On the field, Elliott is one of the league’s more dynamic talents, as he lead the NFL in rushing yards while scoring 15 times a year ago. Without him, the Cowboys will turn to a trio of Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris, and Rod Smith to run behind arguably the league’s best offensive lines.
Ezekiel Elliott Ruling To Come Down Today
The Ezekiel Elliott saga could be coming to a close. Hearing officer Harold Henderson has informed all parties that he will render his ruling by the close of business on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. 
After a yearlong investigation into domestic violence accusations made against him, Elliott was slapped with a six-game suspension this summer. Both Elliott and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones have said that the allegations are without merit and the running back’s camp has vowed to fight the ban until all options have been exhausted. That includes appealing through the highest levels of the justice system, so Elliott’s battle could continue if the suspension is not overturned or significantly reduced today.
If Elliott does not win his appeal or at least have the suspension reduced, he will miss games against the Giants, Broncos, Cardinals, Rams, Packers, and 49ers. Because the Cowboys have a Week 6 bye, an upheld suspension would delay his 2017 debut until October 29th when the Cowboys take on the Redskins.
Cowboys To Re-Sign QB Kellen Moore
The Cowboys are bringing back quarterback Kellen Moore, team owner Jerry Jones told 105.3 The Fan (Twitter link via Jon Machota of the Dallas News). However, he declined to say whether Moore would serve as Dak Prescott‘s backup for the season opener against the Giants. 
When Moore missed the initial 53-man cut, it was assumed that undrafted free agent Cooper Rush had won the job as Prescott’s top understudy. That’s not necessarily the case. The Cowboys will carry all three QBs on the 53-man roster, but it’s possible that one of Rush or Moore will be on the active 46-man roster. Even if all three are dressed for game day, Moore could be the one to get the call if Prescott goes down with an injury.
Moore, 29, spent last year on IR after suffering an injury that opened the door to Prescott‘s remarkable rise. He was retained with a one-year, $775K deal in March, but a poor preseason led the Cowboys to consider other options.
Cowboys Place Rico Gathers On IR
The Cowboys are placing tight end Rico Gathers on injured reserve, the team announced today. That will open up a roster spot that could be filled by the recently-released Kellen Moore, coach Jason Garrett tells reporters. 
Moore was discarded prior to the initial 53-man cutdown in a move that left undrafted free agent Cooper Rush as the team’s No. 2 quarterback behind Dak Prescott. Nothing is definite yet, but it sounds like Moore could return to the roster to serve as the third stringer, or possibly the second stringer, behind Prescott for the season opener against the Giants.
The shuffling of QBs doesn’t make much sense on the surface, but the Cowboys likely felt that they would lose Rush if they exposed him to waivers. Moore, who they like for their offense, probably is not viewed as favorably league-wide.
Cowboys, G Zack Martin Put Contract Talks On Hold
The Cowboys and All-Pro guard Zack Martin have put contract negotiations on hold, Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. They’ll try again next offseason to get a deal done. 
The two sides unofficially set a late August deadline for getting a contract done so that it would not be a distraction during the year. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a lot of progress on that front this summer.
The Cowboys exercised Martin’s fifth-year option in the spring and he’s now slated to earn $9.341MM in 2018. The option is guaranteed for injury only, so Martin would presumably prefer an extension to gain greater financial security. The Cowboys, in theory, can use tags to keep him through 2021, but they’ll probably want to use their one tag per year on other players along the way.
Last year, Martin finished as Pro Football Focus’ second-best guard. Kevin Zeitler, who inked the largest free agent contract ever given to a guard this offseason, was seventh. Martin is likely looking to top Zeitler’s five-year, $60MM pact, and that has given Dallas some pause.
Other key players on the Cowboys’ line are already locked up for years to come. Left tackle Tyron Smith and center Travis Frederick are under contract through through 2023 and right tackle La’el Collins is signed through 2019.
Details On Benwikere Trade
- New Cowboys cornerback Bene Benwikere needs to be on the team’s 46-man gameday roster four times in order for the Bengals to receive Dallas’ sixth-round pick in 2019, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer tweets. The corner was shipped to his fifth team in eleven months in the Sunday trade.
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC East
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC East teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, and Redskins are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Dallas Cowboys
- Acquired:
- LB Jayrone Elliott (story)
- Claimed:
- DT Brian Price
- Cut:
- LB Mark Nzeocha
- DL Cedric Thornton (story)
- Signed to practice squad:
- G Nate Theaker
- T Dan Skipper
- DT Lewis Neal
- DT Richard Ash
- WR Lance Lenoir
- WR Brian Brown
- TE Blake Jarwin
- T Kadeem Edwards
- S Jameill Showers
- CB Marquez White
New York Giants
- Signed to practice squad:
- T Adam Bisnowaty
- DE Jordan Williams
- WR Marquis Bundy
- OL Jon Halapio
- LB Curtis Grant
- CB Donte Deayon
- CB Tim Scott
- S Ryan Murphy
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed to practice squad:
- C Josh Andrews
- TE Billy Brown
- LB Nate Gerry
- T Dillon Gordon
- DT Justin Hamilton
- RB Byron Marshall
- CB C.J. Smith
- QB Nate Sudfeld
- WR Bryce Treggs
- WR Greg Ward
Washington Redskins
- Claimed:
- OL T.J. Clemmings (story)
- Placed on exempt/left squad list:
- S Su’a Cravens (story)
- Signed to practice squad:
- DL Brandon Banks
- WR Robert Davis
- TE Manasseh Garner
- WR Maurice Harris
- G Kyle Kalis
- LB Pete Robertson
- S Fish Smithson
Cowboys Cut DT Cedric Thornton
The Cowboys cut defensive tackle Cedric Thornton, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. His $3MM base salary was guaranteed for this year, so Dallas will be on the hook for that sum. 
Thornton signed a four-year deal with Dallas worth $17MM last year but disappointed in his Dallas debut. The former undrafted free agent compiled only 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks on the year. The Cowboys were hoping he’d bounce back this summer, but they didn’t see the results they were looking for.
Ultimately, the Cowboys paid Thornton $6MM for one season of work. They’ll take on $1.25MM in dead money this season and $2.5MM in 2018.
Dallas was already thin along the defensive line given that David Irving and Damontre Moore will begin the 2018 season on the suspended list. First-round pick Taco Charlton figures to start opposite Tyrone Crawford at defensive end.
Cowboys Acquire Jayrone Elliott From Packers
The Cowboys have traded for Packers outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott, according to a source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Todd Archer (on Twitter). Dallas will send a 2018 conditional seventh-round pick to Green Bay, per Archer.
The Packers initially non-tendered Elliott this offseason, but they later re-signed him to a $1.6MM deal. Interestingly, Elliott did not visit with the Cowboys during his free agent period as he met only with the Bills and Steelers.
Dallas will be without Anthony Hitchens for an unspecified amount of time, meaning Elliott could have a chance to play on defense. He’ll also likely see time on special teams.