Randy Gregory Suspended Until Week 16
Randy Gregory has officially been hit with a ten-game suspension. The league announced that Gregory will not be eligible to return until Week 16 after having a ten-game ban tacked on to his existing punishment. 
[RELATED: Dez Bryant Unlikely To Play Sunday?]
Of course, it’s not a given that Gregory will be in shape to return for the end of the season. At this point, Gregory has been off the field for some time and his substance issues cannot bode well for his overall conditioning. However, those close to the defensive end say that he has been clean for four months and is doing well.
As a rookie, Gregory was in uniform 12 contests and missed a good chunk of games due to an ankle injury. In total, he had 11 sacks. In the long run, the Cowboys are hoping that Gregory can fulfill his vast potential, but he’ll have to get his life together if he hopes to make that a reality.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cowboys Notes: Bryant, Gregory
- Dez Bryant didn’t get an MRI on his knee until Wednesday because he was absent from Monday’s treatment for injured players and Tuesday’s meetings with the Cowboys, sources tell Todd Archer of ESPN.com. The reason for Bryant’s two-day absence is not immediately clear. The wide receiver has not been formally ruled out of Sunday’s game against San Francisco, but the hairline fracture on his knee could sideline him for up to three weeks.
- Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory is out of rehab in Massachusetts, but he’s still receiving and will continue to receive regular treatment in Dallas, according to a league source who spoke with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Meanwhile, those who know the defensive end say he has been clean for over four months and is doing as well as he has in recent memory. Gregory, they say, has been getting his personal life together and is working hard to get back towards football shape.
Dez Bryant Unlikely To Play Sunday?
Dez Bryant appears to be a “longshot” to play on Sunday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Cowboys are hoping there is minimal risk for Bryant to play on Sunday, but they are also aware of the possibility it becomes a 3-week injury (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Cowboys Holding Off On La’el Collins’ Surgery]
Bryant was diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his knee this week. With an injury like that, there is much more for the Cowboys and the star wide receiver to consider than pain management. If there is a chance that Bryant could make the fracture worse, then it would stand to reason that Dallas would rest its top offensive weapon for at least a week.
So far this year, Bryant has 11 receptions for 150 yards and one touchdown to his credit. Last season, Bryant saw career-lows across the board as he caught 31 balls for 401 yards and three touchdowns.
The Cowboys travel to San Francisco on Sunday to take on the Niners. After that, they have a home contest against the Bengals followed by a Week 6 road contest against the Packers.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Practice Squad Updates: 9/28/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Jonathan Anderson (Twitter link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune)
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: OT Clay DeBord
- Cut: DE Chris McCain
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Zaviar Gooden (Twitter link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: C Daniel Munyer
- Cut: WR Seantavius Jones (via Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: LB Darnell Sankey (via Scott Bair of CSNCalifornia.com)
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Anthony Johnson (Twitter link via Doug Kyed of NESN)
- Cut: OT Ian Silberman (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
New York Giants
- Signed: OT Jon Halapio (Twitter link via James Kratch of NJ.com)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Jonathan Krause (Twitter link via Roy Cummings of WFLA)
Cowboys Holding Off On La’el Collins’ Surgery
Despite already relocating him to their IR list, the Cowboys are not planning for La’el Collins to have surgery to repair a torn toe ligament in the near future. Instead, the team will wait for multiple weeks to see if the ligament can heal on its own, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (on Twitter).
Per the second-year guard, via Hill (on Twitter), multiple specialists are set to examine the injury. He will continue to receive treatment in the meantime. Currently outfitted with a walking boot, Collins hopes the injury will heal on its own, Hill tweets.
Collins must miss a minimum of six weeks of practice and eight weeks’ worth of Cowboys games. So, regardless of the team’s course of action with its talented young blocker, Collins will be out until at least late November. Should he undergo surgery, Collins could be sidelined up to 12 weeks, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.
The Cowboys are incredibly well-prepared to handle a loss at this particular position, with former starter Ronald Leary ready to rejoin a group with which he’s quite familiar. He will man the left guard spot until Collins comes back, but considering the impending free agent’s experience and the fluid nature of Collins’ recovery, it might not be a lock the starter reclaims his job late in the season.
Pro Football Focus bestowed its second-worst grade — among full-time guards — on Collins this season for the 186 snaps he’s logged. Football Outsiders ranks Dallas’ offensive front 11th through three games. It ranked sixth in 2015 and first in ’14. Leary started 35 games between 2013-15.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Doctor: Bryant Could Be Out More Than A Month
- While Watkins’ issues may well stem from pain management, Dez Bryant isn’t as fortunate at this juncture. The Cowboys‘ top wideout has a hairline fracture in his knee, but instead of a two-to-three-week timetable previously reported, Bryant’s injury could keep him out more than a month, per Dr. David Chao (via Sirius XM Radio, on Twitter). Bryant missed seven games last season due to a broken foot.
Dez Bryant Has Hairline Fracture In Knee
2:30pm: There’s a chance Bryant could play Sunday but he might also miss the next two or three games, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter).
1:57pm: Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant has a hairline fracture in his knee, coach Jason Garrett told reporters on a conference call (including Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group on Twitter). Garrett referred to the injury as a “day by day” or “week by week thing,” meaning that we won’t have an exact timetable on the wide receiver’s recovery. Still, the Cowboys are hopeful that he can suit up against the Niners on Sunday. 
[RELATED: Cowboys Place Charles Tapper On IR]
Bryant is no stranger to the injury bug. Last year, Bryant had his season derailed by foot and ankle injuries. Those issues limited him to the worst numbers of his career — in nine games, he caught just 31 balls for 401 yards and three touchdowns, all career lows. In late December, Bryant was placed on season-ending IR. Fortunately, this injury does not appear to be anywhere near as severe. If team doctors give Bryant the green light, he may try to play through the pain this weekend.
Bryant, 28 in November, has caught 11 passes for 150 yards and one touchdown through three games this year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cowboys Place Charles Tapper On IR
The Cowboys announced that they have placed defensive end Charles Tapper on injured reserve with a back injury. The move will make room for the addition of offensive tackle Emmett Cleary. 
Tapper was a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft and Dallas hoped that he would make an immediate impact while second-round Jaylon Smith would be sidelined for 2016. Unfortunately, Tapper was diagnosed with Pars Defect, an issue that had gone undetected since birth. He hoped that he could play through the pain in his lumbar spine with an injection, but it apparently wasn’t enough. Tapper will now be out for at least the next eight weeks and possibly for the entire season.
Tapper appeared in 39 games with Oklahoma in three seasons and piled up 13.5 sacks and 24 tackles for loss.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cowboys Sign Emmett Cleary
- The Cowboys will sign offensive lineman Emmett Cleary following the long-term injury to guard La’el Collins, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
NFL Waiver Priority Now Based On 2016 Record
We’re coming up on Week 4 of the NFL season and that means that waiver claim priority will be based on the current league standings instead of last year’s. Of course, waiver priority is based on the inverted NFL standings, which have built in tiebreakers to sort out the many logjams that naturally occur.
Throughout the offseason and the first three weeks of the regular season, the Titans enjoyed top priority thanks to their 3-13 finish last year. Now, we have a brand new pecking order. Here is a full rundown of the current waiver claim priority, which will change from week to week:
1. Jaguars
2. Saints
3. Bears
4. Browns
5. Chargers
6. Lions
7. Jets
8. Cardinals
9. Bills
10. Colts
11. Dolphins
12. 49ers
13. Buccaneers
14. Bengals
15. Titans
16. Redskins
17. Panthers
18. Falcons
19. Cowboys
20. Giants
21. Raiders
22. Packers
23. Chiefs
24. Rams
25. Seahawks
26. Texans
27. Steelers
28. Ravens
29. Eagles
30. Broncos
31. Vikings
32. Patriots