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Latest On Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys

August 12th, 2017 at 9:58am CST by Ben Levine

Following reports that Ezekiel Elliott had been suspended for the first six games of the upcoming season, the Cowboys running back released a statement regarding the punishment (via Twitter):

“I am both surprised and disappointed by the NFL’s decision today, and I strongly disagree with the League’s findings.

“I recognize the distraction and disruption that all of this has caused my family, teammates, the Dallas Cowboys organization as well as my fans — for that I am sincerely sorry.

“I admit that I am far from perfect, but I plan to continue to work very hard, on and off the field, to mature and earn the great opportunity that I have been given.”

We learned last night that Elliott was planning on appealing the suspension.

Let’s take a look at some other notes pertaining to the Cowboys and their star running back…

  • According to ProFootballTalk.com’s Charean Williams, TMZ had obtained eight photos showing bruises on Elliott’s former girlfriend. The photos were part of the evidence used by the NFL during their investigation, and the league confirmed that the pictures were nothing new. Experts said the bruises were consistent with abuse, although Elliott claims his ex-girlfriend suffered the injuries at a bar.
  • If the suspension ultimately stands, SiriusXM’s Alex Marvez points out (via Twitter) that the Cowboys would owe the NFL $186K “per remittance policy for suspended players.”
  • Jerry Jones defended Elliott and questioned the league’s investigation throughout the offseason. Now, as CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora writes, the Cowboys owner has some explaining to do. If Jones was actually aware of the extent of the NFL’s evidence and case against Elliott, then the writer believes the owner deserves criticism. On the flip side, if Jones wasn’t aware, his speaking “in such a cavalier fashion without any true indications of what the league was discerning” also isn’t a good look.
  • Joe Lockhart, the NFL’s top communications chief, discusses Jones’ consistent dismissal of the investigation. “I don’t think we have a comment, one way or the other, on anything that anyone else in this case, that involved in this case or looked at this case, or commented on this case,” he told La Canfora. “I can say that we believe this investigation was thorough, exhaustive and fair to all parties involved.”
  • USA Today’s A.J. Perez writes about Elliott’s options going forward, referring to the former suspensions for Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, and Tom Brady.

Latest On Ezekiel Elliott Suspension

August 11th, 2017 at 4:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ezekiel Elliott suspension will reside as one of most memorable Friday news-dump sequences in the NFL’s history with this tactic, and the result has Jerry Jones “furious,” according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Cowboys owner and recent Hall of Fame inductee said as recently as late last week the domestic violence issue that now stands to drastically alter Elliott’s season was not an issue. Jones previously categorized the accusations against Elliott as being without merit, and while the running back will appeal the suspension, as of now the Cowboys’ top offensive weapon will be shelved until late October. This stands to give the defending NFC East champions a tougher road to defending that title.

Here’s more on the second-year running back’s suspension.

  • An NFL source relayed to Schefter this process took as long as it did because the NFLPA was responsible for a lengthy delay in delivering information requested in mid-December. Schefter reports (Facebook link) the NFL did not receive said information until mid-May.
  • Elliott’s ban was based on two components: the accusation of repeated domestic violence in July 2016 and the incident in March involving the running back removing a woman’s top on a parade float, Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets. The running back’s alleged involvement in a DJ breaking his nose at a club last month was not considered, Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
  • While the above NFL source accused the NFLPA of delaying this investigation considerably, union executive director DeMaurice Smith wonders independently why this took so long. “I just have a hard time understanding how come an investigation takes a year, results in a 165-page report and takes so long and so many person hours,” Smith said, via Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. “As a homicide prosecutor and violent crimes prosecutor, I had to try a violent offender or a murderer 100 days after arrest or the person goes free. I know there’s a couple of prosecutors that are working with the league on these personal conduct issues but I gotta tell ya there’s a whole group of prosecutors and law enforcement folks laughing at them going, ‘Why does it take so long?‘”

NFC Notes: OBJ, Elliott, Seahawks, Bears

July 29th, 2017 at 10:57am CST by Ben Levine

We learned earlier this week that the Giants weren’t prioritizing a contract extension with star wideout Odell Beckham Jr., and that could be because the Pro Bowler is seeking a record-breaking deal. The 24-year-old said on Thursday that he was aiming to become the league’s highest-paid receiver, and he elaborated on those remarks on Friday.

“That’s what you want to do, you want to change the game,’’ Beckham told Paul Schwartz of The New York Post. “This is not just for Odell Beckham, this is for everybody in the league, people who deserve it.

“You sit there and you watch the NBA, it’s crazy. Being realistic, it’s crazy what they’re getting. And there’s people in the NFL who deserve that, I want to do, if I can, be on the forefront for it and help push the league, the game that way, because I feel like the fans deserve it, I feel like we go through a lot, we put ourselves through a lot. They just deserve it. It’s not for me.’’

As our own Connor Byrne noted earlier this week, the top-paid honor usually belongs to quarterbacks, with Raiders signal-caller Derek Carr currently holding the distinction. Steelers wideout Antonio Brown‘s $17MM annual salary is the highest value at his position. Beckham is set to play the upcoming season on a $1.8MM salary, although the organization did pick up his $8.5MM fifth-year option for 2018.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFC…

  • Although Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said an NFL decision on running back Ezekiel Elliott could be handed down “imminently,” no announcement is expected today nor this weekend, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The league is reportedly wrapping up its investigation into domestic violence allegations against Elliott, and while Jones claimed his own review of the evidence indicated Elliott had done nothing wrong, a short suspension is still expected. If Elliott is banned, Dallas will turn to a cadre of Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris, and the newly-signed Ronnie Hillman in the backfield.
  • Former offensive lineman Lemuel Jeanpierre will be joining the Seahawks coaching staff as an offensive assistant, according to Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com. The 2011 undrafted free agent out of South Carolina spent six seasons in Seattle, appearing in 63 games (11 starts). The 30-year-old also appeared in nine postseason games, and he earned a ring after the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII.
  • The Bears have promoted former Pro Scouting Direction Champ Kelly to Assistant Director of Player Personnel, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). According to the reporter, the Dolphins tried to “lure away” Kelly this past offseason, but Chicago clearly had bigger plans for the executive. The former United Indoor Football general manager has been with the Bears organization since 2015, and he previously spent time as the Broncos’ Assistant Director of Pro Personnel.
  • Biggs passes along (on Twitter) that the Bears have also promoted several other members of their scouting team. Chris White is now one of the team’s pro scouts, while Scott Hamel and Brendan Rehor have been promoted to area scout and combine scout, respectively.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Rams, Elliott, Wentz, Redskins

July 14th, 2017 at 9:11pm CST by Connor J. Byrne
There’s still no movement toward a deal between the Rams and cornerback Trumaine Johnson, per ESPN.com’s Alden Gonzalez, who’s the latest to report that he’ll play 2017 under the franchise tag. Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson relayed earlier this week that no agreement would come to fruition by Monday’s deadline, meaning Johnson will play the season as the NFL’s highest-paid corner. Johnson will earn $16.742MM in his second straight year as the Rams’ franchise player, and the likelihood is that he’ll test the free agent market next offseason. Tagging him again isn’t going to happen because doing so would cost the Rams $24.1MM.
Elsewhere around the NFC…
  • The NFL needs to make a decision on whether to suspend Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott as soon as possible, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. In doing so, he league would ensure that the internal appeals process would be resolved by Week 1, reasons Florio. Elliott is bracing for a season-opening ban, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, and Florio wonders if the league leaked that information to Schefter in order to gauge the opinions of both the public and Jerry Jones. The Cowboys owner has made it known to NFL higher-ups that he won’t react kindly if the league suspends one of his stars without ample justification, reports Florio. Given the power Jones has, the NFL “needs to placate” him, writes Florio; at the same time, the league’s also in a difficult situation because it can’t afford to screw up another ruling involving domestic violence.
  • The Eagles want to “take a little bit off” second-year quarterback Carson Wentz‘s plate this season, head coach Doug Pederson told Comcast SportsNet’s John Clark this week (via Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com). Pederson believes that the offseason additions of wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith and running back LeGarrette Blount should make life easier for Wentz, who didn’t have enough help at the skill positions last season and attempted 607 passes – the second-highest rookie total in NFL history, notes Frank. “Everything doesn’t have to fall on Carson’s shoulders and I think sometimes a little bit last year he felt that way and things had to fall his way a little bit to make a play and I don’t think we have to do that this year,” said Pederson.
  • Redskins safety DeAngelo Hall agreed to a pay cut last month, but he’ll still enter training camp in danger of losing his roster spot, suggests Rich Tandler of CSN Mid-Atlantic. A couple of other veteran safeties, Will Blackmon and Josh Evans, are also on the bubble, per Tandler. Injuries limited Hall to just 17 games over the previous three seasons, including a mere three in 2016. Conversely, staying healthy hasn’t been a problem for the 32-year-old Blackmon, who has made 30 of 32 appearances and logged 16 starts since joining the Redskins prior to 2015. Evans, a regular for the Jaguars from 2013-15, was on and off Washington’s roster last year and only played two games.

NFL Helped Raiders Secure Vegas Funding?

April 15th, 2017 at 2:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

When the Chargers announced in January they were taking the NFL up on its offer to join the Rams in Los Angeles, the NFL foresaw a possible route to San Diego for the Raiders. The league did not want that, so it shifted focus from helping the Raiders procure a new stadium in Oakland to making sure the Las Vegas deal didn’t fall though, Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. of ESPN.com report in an expansive story chronicling the Raiders’ move to Sin City.

As the Raiders’ Vegas deal was flailing after the departures of Sheldon Adelson and Goldman Sachs in during the winter, league executives joined Raiders president Marc Badain in contacting Bank of America, according to Van Natta and Wickersham. The company soon replaced Adelson as a backer, injecting new life into the Raiders’ Vegas venture, and pledged a near-$1 billion line of credit to cover cost overruns from the impending stadium construction project.

Jerry Jones also played a role in this key chapter of the Raiders’ relocation process. Mark Davis said to Jones at one point last year, “you screwed me on L.A.” and Jones began to act feverishly to help the Raiders relocate. The Cowboys owner put his full support behind the project, something the league and the Raiders appreciated, according to the ESPN reporters, and attempted to procure financing for the endeavor. But some around the league are concerned with the fallout.

Jones’ push helped bring some owners off the fence, paving the way for the 31-1 relocation vote. But it irked another influential owner. Robert Kraft took exception to Jones’ stake in Legends Hospitality, a merchandise and concessions company that could stand to benefit from the $1.9 billion stadium deal.

Sources told Wickersham and Van Natta that Legends emerged as a contender to partner with the Raiders for nonfootball revenue. Kraft spoke to Adelson, a longtime friend who played a key role in helping secure the Raiders the record $750MM in public money before stepping aside due partially to a falling out with Davis, and told him “Jerry is running wild; I can’t believe this.” Adelson, according to the ESPN reporters, then said he would “kill” the Raiders’ deal in Vegas if Kraft wanted. But Kraft, who had been a backer of the Raiders’ effort, did not want to exercise that prospective option.

Kraft wasn’t the only high-powered NFL figure who was suspicious of Jones’ help here. The Dallas owner helping sway his peers while potentially factoring into the stadium’s finances would cause “a major conflict of interest,” a longtime aide to an NFL owner told ESPN, who added the question of “won’t Mark Davis always be beholden to Jerry Jones?” Bank of America has served as the Cowboys’ bank for 25 years, along with a team sponsor. It’s also the Raiders’ longtime bank.

Davis and NFL executive VP Eric Grubman were working toward different goals, with Davis concentrating solely with Vegas and Grubman working to keep the Raiders in Oakland. Grubman, who also attempted to work with St. Louis last year while Stan Kroenke set his sights on Los Angeles, concluded in December — according to ESPN — Oakland did not have a viable proposal. At that same December league meeting, Badain called Oakland’s proposal a “political, cover-your-ass joke” and said in October, per ESPN, “it would have been better if (Oakland) had offered nothing.”

“The stadium proposals received from Oakland are dependent on various contingencies and involve a number of significant uncertainties that membership concluded cannot be solved in a reasonable time,” the league’s statement on the Raiders’ relocation reads (via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com, on Twitter), also citing the lack of Oakland progress in a two-year period after the league denied relocation applications in 2015 and placed the Raiders behind the Rams and Chargers in the Los Angeles pecking order a year later. “The proposal to relocate to Las Vegas involves a clearly defined and well-financed proposal for a first-class stadium.”

NFC East Rumors: Cowboys, Romo, Redskins

March 6th, 2017 at 1:49pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys are hoping a team comes in with a Tony Romo trade offer and hoping the 36-year-old passer would accept the deal, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). Romo is believed to be open to helping Dallas facilitate a trade, but Jerry Jones said he plans to “do right by” the longtime starting passer. Hill also notes Romo would be inclined to sign an playing time-incentive-based contract that would make it easier for a team to justify adding him.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Latest On Cowboys’ Tony Romo Decision

March 4th, 2017 at 7:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jerry Jones fielded 33 Tony Romo-related questions today in an expansive interview today, and while nothing has been decided about a possible trade or release just yet, the owner will not be watching his longtime franchise quarterback play for the Redskins.

A Romo-to-Washington scenario is a non-starter for Jones, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. There is also an unspoken understanding, per Hill, that Romo will not sign with the Redskins if he becomes a free agent. A report circulated on Friday that had a three-team blockbuster trade — one sending Romo to the Redskins, Kirk Cousins to the 49ers and draft picks to the Cowboys — hovering as a possible scenario.

Jones emphasized the team will treat Romo respectfully here and not trade him to a destination where he wouldn’t want to land. The owner met with the 36-year-old quarterback before the Super Bowl at Cowboys headquarters. Romo did not ask to be released, Hill reports, but the two Cowboys cornerstones did discuss the possible outcomes of this process. No other meetings between the two are scheduled, although the sides will communicate, Hill reports.

Jones added the team will make a decision sooner rather than later but won’t be held hostage by the start of free agency on March 9.

“It is implied that we will work in the best way we can for the mutual interest of Tony and the Cowboys,” Jones said, via Hill. “That’s important here. Now we’ve got to abide by every league rule. We can’t have agreements without it being within the boundaries of the NFL. But when you’ve got a situation like we got, we’ll do the do-right rule. That’s it. That is it. Very important. We do the do-right rule. We have that kind of relationship.”

Romo has been rumored to be seeking a starting role with a contender. The Broncos and Texans appear to be the qualifiers here, with the Chiefs having every notable franchise decision-maker publicly commit to Alex Smith. Helping Dallas facilitate a trade isn’t out of the question for the 15th-year veteran, but he expects to be released. Jones would want Romo to stay in Dallas if possible but understands that might not be what the quarterback wants.

“He’s considering options,” Jones said. “Obviously, we all know that he’s going to have the opportunity to look at whatever situation, if there are situations, he’s going to have an opportunity to look at it. He gets to say and control this situation every bit as much as we do.”

Jones Trying To Aid Raiders’ Vegas Move?

March 4th, 2017 at 5:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

The long-building momentum driving a prospective Raiders push to Las Vegas stalled earlier this year when Sheldon Adelson and Goldman Sachs bailed on the venture, leaving many questions for the Silver and Black. Jerry Jones may now be trying to answer some of them himself. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets the Cowboys owner is trying to gather investors to fill Adelson’s role in this project.

Adelson was set to contribute $650MM to a Vegas stadium, one slated to cost approximately $1.9 billion. After the team lost the backing of Adelson and Goldman Sachs, the prognosis for a Raiders relocation to Vegas plummeted to “all but dead” status. Conflicting reports have surfaced on Jones potentially getting involved here. A Cowboys source said the longtime owner is not trying to help finance a Raiders Vegas venue, but others told Cole (Twitter link) that he has attempted to do so.

Jones trying to fill in here has raised issues around the league, Cole tweets. A positive viewpoint stems from Jones’ influence among the other owners. He’s been intrigued about a team opening up the Vegas market and has considerable power within the group of owners. However, Jones reaching out like this would help lead some to conclude, per Cole (via Twitter), the Raiders are unable to gather sufficient financing after receiving previous commitments themselves. Mark Davis helped secure a record $750MM commitment in public funds last year, but the momentum here has stalled after the financial giants left. Another concern to come out of a Jones-Raiders relationship, per Cole (on Twitter): the possibility it could provide the Cowboys owner with undue control over another team and how it’s run.

While doubts have understandably surfaced about the viability of the Raiders moving to Nevada, team president Mark Badain said recently the club has two banks willing to loan money to make up for Adelson’s withdrawal. He remains in high spirit about a move but wouldn’t exactly be expected to indicate otherwise publicly so soon after Adelson abandoned the project. Nothing much has come out of the Oakland front, with the latest development in the Ronnie Lott-led proposal not moving the needle much.

Jerry Jones: Tony Romo To Serve As Backup

November 15th, 2016 at 9:39am CST by Zachary Links

Over the weekend, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed that Dak Prescott will start for the Cowboys in Week 11 while Tony Romo serves as the backup. Jones stopped short saying that the rookie will start for the remainder of the season, but in an interview this morning he implied that the job belongs to Prescott and he will not be on a short leash. Prescott “won’t be looking over his shoulder,” Jones said (Twitter link via Charean Williams of the Star Telegram). Tony Romo (Vertical)

Jones also told 105.3 The Fan that he has had the conversation with Romo about dressing and being the backup (Twitter link). Romo, we’ve heard, is not overly pleased with the situation. Jones said that he thinks Romo will make a great offensive coordinator when his playing days are through, and that’s likely not much of a consolation for the 36-year-old.

It’s a bitter pill to swallow for Romo, but the Cowboys would be hard-pressed to make any other choice as they sit atop the NFL with an 8-1 record.

Cowboys Back In Veteran QB Market

August 27th, 2016 at 4:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys have seen enough from Dak Prescott this preseason to determine he will be their starter while Tony Romo rehabs from his latest injury.

Instead of bringing in a veteran with an eye on inserting some experience into their starting lineup, the Cowboys are searching for one who will back up the fourth-round rookie, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports (on Twitter).

Both Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones said the team they will look for a backup signal-caller, per Moore. The Cowboys pursued Nick Foles, with Stephen Jones announcing the team was engaged briefly in dialogue with him before he agreed to become Alex Smith‘s backup with the Chiefs. Dallas kept its top two from 2015 intact coming into camp, with Kellen Moore entering as Romo’s backup. But injuries to both have hijacked the team’s plans.

The Cowboys attempted to trade up to No. 26 to acquire Paxton Lynch, but when the Seahawks accepted the Broncos’ offer to do so instead, Jerry Jones lamented not offering more soon after. They drafted Prescott in the fourth round, and he’s shown quick competency this preseason by throwing for five touchdown passes and rushing for two more scores, but don’t have much healthy behind him. 2015 UDFA Jameill Stowers sits behind Prescott presently.

The team also discussed Josh McCown with the Browns briefly but found Cleveland’s asking price to be too high. Now that the Chiefs have acquired Foles, they will have to part ways with one of the five quarterbacks they have in camp — probably two — but the bottom three haven’t attempted a regular-season pass. The Jets have three draft picks behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com wonders if Geno Smith could be available (Twitter link). Of course, then the Jets would be bereft of experience behind their starter.

Tarvaris Jackson and Jimmy Clausen are available in free agency, with Charlie Whitehurst and T.J. Yates currently unemployed as well.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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