Tyron Smith Out For Week 10
- While Ezekiel Elliott will be the most notable absence in Sunday’s Cowboys-Falcons game, Dallas will be without its cornerstone left tackle as well. Tyron Smith will miss Week 10 with back and groin injuries. The All-Pro blocker will not make the trip to Atlanta, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports (on Twitter). Chaz Green will start in Smith’s place. The seventh-year veteran had made all eight starts for the Cowboys this season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/11/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Jonathan Anderson
- Waived: WR Tanner Gentry
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed off Chiefs’ practice squad: DT Daniel Ross
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: TE Johnny Mundt
- Waived: OL Andrew Donnal
New York Giants
- Signed: FB Shane Smith
- Waived: TE Matt LaCosse
New York Jets
- Signed: WR JoJo Natson
- Waived/injured: DL Ed Stinson
Washington Redskins
- Waived: G Tyler Catalina
Latest From Jerry Jones on Roger Goodell Contract
It’s already well known that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has his problems with the commissioner Roger Goodell‘s potential contract extension. Jones has already said that most of the NFL’s owners are being “misled” because of a bonus agreement among other things that have been included in the prospective new deal.
There’s been speculation that Jones’ recent attempts to block Goodell’s new extension stems somewhat from the ongoing legal battle regarding Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott and the league. However, the Cowboys owner went on record today to dispute that notion, citing other less specific issues, relays Jon Machota of SportsDay.
“This is simply about making sure that all clubs have input into not only the commissioner’s [contract] extension, but also in future years his decisions, Jones said. “We all see how impactful a commissioner’s decision can be in many areas. We’ve given him a lot of power and I think we need the checks and balances of ownership having to actually be in a position to not just suggest but approve of his decisions. That’s what this is about.”
Jones notes that he’s been working with Goodell for a long time and that he’s able to separate his disappointment with the league’s handling of Elliott’s suspension and what’s good for the NFL long-term.
“I’ve been dealing with this commissioner for almost 28 years as an employee of the NFL,” Jones said. “Zeke’s been involved here a year, year and a half. Those are really separate issues as to Zeke. The policy we have that has impacted Zeke is more of my issue with the commissioner.”
The Cowboys owner and general manager noted to Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star Telegram, that his problems with Goodell’s contract extension as currently constructed has less to do with the commissioner and more with the power of the position he holds.
“To a large degree, it’s not about Roger Goodell. It’s about the power of the commissioner as it relates to ownership. To the extent that the ownership hires him, extends him, pays him on an ongoing basis, the ownership should have first-hand approval, each owner, should approve that.”
It would seem that Jones’ problems at least on the surface have more to do with the owners keeping a strong hold on their league rather than not having his start running back for six games at some point this season. However, it is undeniable that Goodell has asserted his power throughout this Elliott suspension process and Jones has said publicly that he’ll support his superstar player all the way. There’s no way to know exactly what the tipping point in negotiations will be, but the NFL and Jerry Jones will certainly have a lot of talking to do over the next months.
Geoff Swaim Could Need Surgery
- Cowboys third-string tight end Geoff Swaim missed practice on Friday with a right knee injury and as is waiting on MRI results that should bring light to what his recovery may look like, reports Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Archer opines that Swaim could miss Sunday’s game and may be in line for arthroscopic surgery, which would sideline him for a few weeks. Swaim just has two receptions on the season with Jason Witten and James Hanna getting most of the reps in two tight-end sets.
Jerry Jones: Owners Misled On Goodell Deal
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has doubled down on his crusade against the NFL, accusing Falcons owner Arthur Blank — head of the league’s compensation committee — of “misleading” NFL owners on the terms of Roger Goodell‘s contract extension, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com.
There’s quite a bit to unpack in this story, but Jones’ key complaints revolve around the six-man competition committee, a ownership sub-group that determines Goodell’s salary. Per Jones, Blank previously indicated the specifics of Goodell’s new deal would be “unanimously” approved by the committee before heading to a vote from all 32 of the league’s owners. When two members of the group showed concerns with Goodell’s extension, Blank “backed off” his claims that a unanimous vote was a prerequisite.
Jones also claims he “discovered a number of very concerning issues” regarding Goodell’s deal, including a “discretionary bonus plan” that hadn’t been part of the original contract. Additionally, initial plans for an offer to Goodell contained performance-based incentive language — the new contract was a “departure” from that original concept, per Mortensen.
Whether or not Jones will actually follow through with his intention of suing the NFL is unclear at present, but the league’s competition committee — which recently removed Jones as an “ad hoc” seventh member — has sent a stern reminder to the Cowboys owner, as Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal tweets. The group revealed contract language which requires an owner who sues the league to pay for not only his own legal expenses, but those of the NFL as well.
Also left unresolved is whether the NFL’s decision to suspend Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games — a suspension which will now seemingly take effect at long last — has played any role in Jones’ legal threats. While reports have indicated Jones’ battle is solely on Goodell’s compensation, it’s fair to wonder whether Elliott’s ban, and the ongoing saga surrounding the back, have pushed Jones into his current frame of mind.
Latest On Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott
The latest ruling in the Ezekiel Elliott saga will put his six-game suspension into motion starting with this Sunday’s game against the Falcons. He still has options to fight the ban, but it will take a while before he can realistically get another legal intervention. Elliott’s expedited appeal in front of the Second Circuit court is scheduled for December 1st, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. 
The Cowboys have four games between now and 12/1, so Elliott will almost certainly miss games against the Falcons, Eagles, Chargers, and Redskins. After that, Elliott will have to assess whether to fight the league on the remaining two games. In theory, it seems possible that Elliott could stave off the final two games of his scheduled suspension only to have the ban reinstated in the postseason (assuming the Cowboys qualify).
The Cowboys are 5-3 heading into Sunday’s game with Atlanta. They have serious ground to make up in order to catch the 8-1 Eagles for the NFC East crown and they’ll have to do it without their best offensive weapon – at least for the next month.
Ezekiel Elliott’s Suspension Is Back On
The latest legal volley in the Ezekiel Elliott case has gone in the NFL’s favor. The Second Circuit has ruled in favor of the Cowboys’ running back. His six-game suspension goes into effect immediately, meaning that he will not be eligible to return until Dec. 24 against the Seahawks unless there is another ruling to shift things back in his favor. 
The “good news” for Elliott is that his appeal will be heard on an expedited basis. It’s possible that he will be able to get another ruling from the courts before the six-game suspension ends.
Today’s hearing lasted only 30 minutes and ended without a ruling right away. Minutes later, however, the judging panel came back with a verdict to deny Elliott’s request for an injunction.
While Elliott is out, the Cowboys are expected to lean on Alfred Morris, Rod Smith, and Darren McFadden to keep the running game moving. Those three cannot offer the same explosiveness as Elliott, but it’s as good of a Plan B as anyone could have in the NFL.
Elliott, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 draft, has 783 yards and seven touchdowns off of 191 carries this season (4.1 yards per carry). He also has 19 catches for 210 yards and two scores.
Assuming the ban holds up, Elliott will miss games against the Falcons, Eagles, Chargers, Redskins, Giants, and Raiders.
Ezekiel Elliott Rumors: Thursday
On Thursday afternoon, a hearing convened on the Ezekiel Elliott injunction that wasn’t originally supposed to happen. Reportedly, Elliott’s camp saw the hearing, which was not an automatic to happen, as a positive.
Here’s the latest on that hearing and where things stand for the Cowboys’ star running back:
- The hearing ended after 30 minutes without a decision and there is no timetable for a ruling (Twitter link via Dan Graziano of ESPN.com). If no ruling comes down by the end of the business day on Friday, Elliott will presumably in action on Sunday against the Falcons.
- If the next ruling does go in the NFL’s favor, his six-game ban will start immediately. “The moment the stay is lifted, the suspension is enforced,” league spokesman Joe Lockhart said (via the Dallas News’ David Moore). “Whatever time that happens, it’s enforced. If the result is some extension to hear further arguments, the suspension is stayed. This is very much in the court’s hands right now. They will dictate when the suspension will start.”
- The judges asked the NFLPA what difference it would have made to have Elliott’s accuser testify at the arbitration hearing, as requested by Elliott’s camp (Twitter link via Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News).
- They also wondered how NFL investigators could suspend Elliott on a “credible evidence” standard when they admitted to finding credibility issues with the accuser (Twitter links). The league replied that the credibility issues were about only two of the five alleged incidents and Elliott was not punished for those.
Roger Goodell “Furious” Over Contract Delay
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is reportedly “furious” over the league’s insistence that he accept a contract that includes performance-based incentives that could still allow him to reach his prior salaries, according to Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham of ESPN.com.
A potential Goodell extension has been in the works for months, but has been consistently delayed — the latest hurdle, of course, is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones‘ threat to sue the NFL over Goodell’s contract. At least one source tells the ESPN scribes that Jones’ lawsuit is simply a “scare tactic,” although Jones could hope to change rules that currently require only two-thirds of NFL owners to approve a Goodell extension. Jones reportedly wants a new deal to be signed off on by three-fourths of the league’s owners.
Jones had essentially been acting as an “ad hoc” member of the NFL’s compensation committee, but that group has since removed his access. Still, Jones believes four to five owners agree that Goodell should be replaced as commissioner, while another 12-15 owners are “on the fence.” Jones, though, reportedly has his own candidate in mind to serve as the league’s next commissioner, a fact that may have lessened his support.
Goodell, meanwhile, has earned in excess of $200MM since taking over as NFL commissioner in 2006, and isn’t interested in accepting a pay reduction. “He feels as if the owners have made a lot of money and he should be compensated accordingly,” a source tells Van Natta and Wickersham. “The incentives thing really angers him.”
While Goodell is seemingly under fire, other reports have indicated his situation isn’t quite as dire — Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter link) Goodell’s extension is still a “certainty,” adding Jones has “maybe three” owners on his side.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/8/17
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed off waivers: LB Josh Keyes
- Promoted to active roster: CB Darius Hillary
- Placed on injured reserve: CB Reggie Porter
- Waived: LB Deon King
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted to active roster: DT Lewis Neal
Houston Texans
- Promoted to active roster: DL Jarrod Clements
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT John Hughes
- Waived: OL John Greco
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted to active roster: WR Freddie Martino