Ezekiel Elliott’s Incident That Happen In Las Vegas… ‘likely’ To Be Reviewed By NFL Commissioner

The NFL is likely to review an incident involving Ezekiel Elliott and a concert security guard in Las Vegas to determine if the Dallas Cowboys running back violated the terms of previous suspension guidelines set forth by commissioner Roger Goodell, two league sources have told Yahoo Sports.

Elliott was briefly handcuffed at a Las Vegas concert earlier this month after bumping a security guard. Video of the incident made its way to TMZ. The Cowboys running back ultimately wasn’t arrested or charged. Sources close to Elliott and the Cowboys have told Yahoo Sports they don’t believe the language of Elliott’s previous suspension determination supports discipline in light of the video footage.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters last week that, “I don’t see that having any consequences for us.”

Despite that stance, a source in the NFL’s executive branch told Yahoo Sports the Las Vegas incident is “clearly” subject to review by Goodell under the league’s personal conduct policy, particularly in light of Elliott’s previous six-game suspension for alleged acts of physical abuse against an ex-girlfriend. That previous case continues to be a source of resentment at the highest levels of the Cowboys franchise, largely due to the league’s sole interviewer of Elliott’s accuser having recommended no discipline after finding inconsistencies and credibility issues with the alleged victim’s statements.

Trump congratulates Nick Bosa, tells him to ‘always stay true’ to himself

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, offered up his congratulations via Twitter to rookie San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa on being the No. 2 overall pick.

“Big Talent! San Francisco will embrace you but most importantly, always stay true to yourself,” Trump added.

The President did not comment on any of the other 102 selections made during the first two days of the 2019 NFL Draft. Bosa has in the past expressed his support of President Trump via social media.

Bosa recently came under fire for his past social media activity, including pro-Trump tweets deleted by his agent. ESPN recently asked him why he wanted to abandon something he had previously embraced.

Giants discussing potential Josh Rosen trade

New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur indicated on Tuesday that his team would like to add a franchise quarterback to eventually take over for Eli Manning.

Picking sixth and 17th overall in next month’s NFL Draft, most figured that the Giants were looking at the annual event as an avenue to add said quarterback.

Not so fast. According to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY, the Giants are having internal discussions about the possibility of trading for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen.

“THE GIANTS ARE PLANNING TO INVESTIGATE EVERY POSSIBLE OPTION WHEN IT COMES TO FINDING THEIR QUARTERBACK OF THE FUTURE, AND THAT INCLUDES A POTENTIAL TRADE FOR ARIZONA CARDINALS QUARTERBACK JOSH ROSEN,” THE GIANTS’ INSIDER NOTED THURSDAY EVENING.

Dolphins tried to make a trade for Matthew Stafford before 2018 season

Turns out the Miami Dolphins tried to move on from quarterback Ryan Tannehill a year earlier than anyone thought.

The team mounted an effort, led by former coach Adam Gase, to trade for a quarterback to replace Tannehill before the 2018 season, according to multiple league sources.

And the target of Gase’s attempt to upgrade the Dolphins at quarterback was Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, sources also say.

Gase, in fact, reached out personally to Lions coach Matt Patricia to try to pry Stafford away from the Lions.

Gase and Patricia are friends and the Lions coach was new to the Lions at the time and considering all options on how to improve his new team.

Although it’s not believed the talks reached a point where the Dolphins were asked what they were willing to give for Stafford, it is believed Gase would have offered at minimum Miami’s 2018 first-round pick and probably more.

Patricia, obviously recognizing Stafford’s value to the Lions, told Gase he was not willing to move on from the quarterback at that point, per sources.

49ers may be in on Le’Veon Bell

The San Francisco 49ers already have some decent offensive potential with young players such as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and tight end George Kittle, but could they add a veteran star on top of that?

According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, the 49ers may be looking to do just that, as Mortensen is reporting that San Francisco may be in on free-agent running back Le’Veon Bell.

The New York Jets are viewed as the favorites for Bell, mainly due to the fact that they have $102 million in cap space, but the Niners would certainly be an interesting destination.

Bell sat out the entire 2018 campaign due to a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also held out through Week 1 of 2017, but returned in Week 2 and ended up rushing for 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns while hauling in 85 receptions for 655 yards and a couple of scores on the season en route to a Pro Bowl appearance and a First-Team All-Pro selection.

NFL free agency rumors: Bears could be interested in signing Adrian Peterson

The Bears could be looking to add a new running back.

If Washington doesn’t retain Adrian Peterson, Chicago might be interested in making a play on the 2012 MVP, according to an NFL Network report.

Teams reportedly have interest in trading for Chicago’s young running back Jordan Howard, who will be an unrestricted free agent in 2020. Howard’s perceived value and the free agency market are expected to impact the Bears’ effort to add new personnel to their backfield.

According to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Bears could be the team to land Adrian Peterson depending on what happens with AP and Washington.

The 33-year-old back signed a one-year deal with the Skins last season after injuries plagued Washington’s backfield. AP rushed for over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns with a 4.2 yard per rush average, as he proved doubters wrong once again in 2018.

Tom Pelissero added that Brad Childress could even be joining Matt Nagy’s coaching staff next season, which further increases the chances that AP could be a target for Chicago.

Report: Josh Rosen will likely be traded to Washington before free agency

As the Kyler Murray-to-Arizona rumors intensify, there’s some smoke pouring out of the combine that Josh Rosen could be on the move to Washington.

On Saturday, NFL insider Tony Pauline shared that he’s heard the Redskins “have openly spoken about trading for Josh Rosen.”

One day later, and Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel added fuel to that fire.

Dwayne Haskins blames leg cramps on slow 40 time

Former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins finished the 40 with a super-slow time. And then the excuse-making began.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Haskins was “battling leg cramps prior to running.” Rapoport adds that Haskins had been timed in the 4.8s while training for the Combine, and that Haskins will run the 40 again at his Pro Day workout.

Officially, Haskins ran the 40 in 5.04 seconds on Saturday in Indianapolis.

I’m not going to say that Rapoport’s source isn’t telling the truth, but there’s definitely a motivation to embellish in these situations. Also, if Haskins truly had leg cramps before running, why run? Why not say instead, “I’ve got leg cramps”?

NFL, NFLPA issue joint response to Eric Reid’s drug testing allegation

Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid felt he was targeted by the NFL for random drug testing that was not truly random during the regular season, but it does not appear his complaint is going to get him anywhere.

Back in November, Reid revealed that he had been selected for random drug testing for the fifth time since he signed with the Panthers on Sept. 27. That led him to conclude that the system “doesn’t feel very random,” which was basically an accusation that the NFL was trying to railroad him. On Tuesday, the NFL and NFL Players Association released a statement insisting there is no evidence of that.

 

Why was Anthony Miller’s catch-and-fumble ruled an incompletion? The NFL is here to explain.

What’s a catch? Better yet, what’s a recovery? And what happens when there is no recovery?

That controversy briefly reared its ugly head early Sunday in the wild-card playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears.

The good news is that the call on the field, ultimately, was correct. The bad news is that the sequence was confusing to viewers as it was unfolding.

In the moment, game officials were left to sort out a situation in which Mitchell Trubiskyhit receiver Anthony Miller with a pass just before halftime. Miller took a few steps before losing possession as Eagles defensive back Cre’von LeBlanc grabbed hold. The play was ruled an incomplete pass, but replays showed Miller securing and then losing possession of the ball, apparently making it a completion followed by a fumble. Here’s the kicker: No one recovered the ball, which was picked up by an official.

So often, defensive players scoop up a dead ball and run with it, not giving officials a chance to interfere. Better to suffer the momentary embarrassment of a touchdown or return that doesn’t count than to violate Coaching 101 and fail to play on until you’re certain the action is over. In the earlier Chargers-Ravens wild-card game, the Ravens’ Marlon Humphrey did just that, returning a Melvin Gordon fumble more than 100 yards, only to have officials determine that Gordon was down and that Humphrey’s return never happened.

Back to the Eagles-Bears situation. Because neither team gained possession, officials (correctly) stuck with their (incorrect) initial ruling, which was later explained by Al Riveron, the NFL’s senior vice president of officiating.