Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones To Sue NFL?
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has a bone to pick with Roger Goodell and he’s not letting up anytime soon. Jones is threatening to sue the NFL and some of his fellow owners over talks to extend Goodell’s contract, two people with direct knowledge of the situation tell Ken Belson of the New York Times. 
Last week, Jones informed the owners on the league’s compensation committee that he has hired famed lawyer David Boies to represent him. The majority owners of the Chiefs, Falcons, Giants, Patriots, Steelers, and Texans all serve on the committee. Jones has effectively shoehorned his way into the group, though he does not carry a vote since he is not an official member.
Goodell’s extension was reported to be near completion months ago. It has been greatly delayed, however, and Jones appears to be the driving force behind the roadblock. The Cowboys owner is livid at Goodell over the pending six-game ban of Ezekiel Elliott and he is determined to make him pay.
Cowboys' Rico Gathers Done For Year?
- Cowboys tight end Rico Gathers still has yet to return to practice and may not return from IR as initially planned, Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News writes. Gathers is still recovering from a head injury and concussion he suffered in mid-August following a helmet-to-helmet collision. Unfortunately, he has still not been cleared to practice and that’s not a good sign for his chances to play this year. In the preseason, Gathers turned some heads by catching seven passes for 106 yards and two scores.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/7/17
Today’s practice squad moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: S Derron Smith
- Cut: TE Scott Orndoff
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DT Joe Vellano
Indianapolis Colts
- Cut: CB Channing Stribling
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: OL Cole Toner
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: OL Willie Beavers
- Cut: RB Bronson Hill
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Mike Purcell
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S Tre Sullivan
- Cut: LB Don Cherry
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: T Jake Rodgers
- Cut: WR Justin Thomas
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OL Isaiah Battle
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