Ezekiel Elliott‘s suspension reinstated: The NFL’s ongoing legal battle with Elliott took another turn last week, as the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the league, a decision which resulted in the restoration of the Cowboys running back’s six-game ban. Elliott still has options — he can re-file in either New York or Texas and keep himself on the field — but if he and his team don’t take action, he’ll be suspended until November 24, the day after Dallas’ Thanksgiving Day game against the Chargers. If Elliott decides to accept his ban, the Cowboys will turn to Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden as their primary backs.
Cardinals acquire Adrian Peterson: The Saints quickly abandoned any plans they had to utilize Peterson in 2017, as they shipped the former All Pro to Arizona for a conditional 2018 sixth-round pick. Peterson had lost time to fellow backs Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara in New Orleans, and had posted only 27 rushing attempts through four games. Peterson says he did not request a trade, but he’ll now have a chance to be the lead back for the Cardinals, who subsequently released veteran Chris Johnson. General manager Steve Keim & Co. didn’t take much of a risk in acquiring Peterson, as Arizona owes him only ~$700K for the rest of the season.
Giants lose all their wideouts: Not only is Big Blue now winless to start the season, but it’s witnessed injuries to their top four wide receivers. Odell Beckham Jr. (ankle), Brandon Marshall (ankle), and Dwayne Harris (foot) are all out for the rest of the year, while Sterling Shepard is expected to miss multiple weeks with a health issue of his own. New York has added several pass-catchers in recent days, but the club is not interested in a reunion with Victor Cruz (despite his best lobbying efforts). As if the Giants’ receiving problems weren’t enough, cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has now been suspended indefinitely following multiple incidents.
Texans down their best defenders: J.J. Watt (tibial plateau fracture) and Whitney Mercilus (torn pectoral) are both out for the rest of the year, leaving Houston with only Jadeveon Clowney as the club’s only star along its front seven. For Watt, who is arguably still the NFL’s best defensive player, this latest injury means he’s now been sidelined by health questions in each of the past two seasons. For what it’s worth, the Texans did agree to terms with free agents Lamarr Houston (link) and Kendall Langford (link), but neither of those players can be counted on to replace the production of Watt and/or Mercilus.
End of an era in San Francisco: After unsuccessfully attempting to trade him, the 49ers released veteran linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who had spent his entire career in the Bay Area. San Francisco had actually agreed to ship the former All Pro to New Orleans, but Bowman preferred to become a free agent and pick his next club. Thus far, the Raiders have expressed the most interest, and Bowman will meet with Oakland in the coming days.