NFC Notes: Cowboys, Panthers, Redskins

Cowboys

Michele Tafoya of NBC reported during the Hall of Fame game Thursday night that Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott had a hearing in late June in which NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was in attendance.

According to Tafoya, Goodell and a four-person independent panel participated in the hearing and plan to make a recommendation to Goodell, who will ultimately decide on whether Elliott is suspended from the NFL.

Meanwhile, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he’s optimistic that Elliott won’t be suspended and will be available for Week 1.

“My hope is that Zeke is with us opening night and I don’t want to get into anything that might in any way influence negatively that decision from the league office,” Jones said.

Jones explained that Elliott is learning the kind of pressure that comes with his position and he expects him to figure out a better way of handling things moving forward.

“I know firsthand what it’s like for Zeke to go out in public. It’s like a rock star. It’s almost uncontrollable. That’s a challenge,” Jones said. “That’d be a challenge for anyone. He’s got to learn to basically meet that challenge. It’s been my experience when players have that type of attention create that type of dynamic. They learn. They’ll hit that hot stove two or three times.”

Panthers

Panthers GM Marty Hurney mentioned during an interview with Pro Football Talk that they’re “looking at” new deals for LB Thomas Davis and TE Greg Olsen.

“I think we’re looking at all those guys,” Hurney said. “What we’re doing now is just evaluate where players are, looking at your veterans. You look at Thomas Davis, and he still has the same acceleration and physical tools as he had. Greg goes out there — Greg’s the only guy [who] hasn’t even taken a veteran day off yet. A guy who’s always there and done everything. So I think it’s just looking at those guys and trying to make the right decisions. Not just those two but the entire roster.”

• Adam Caplan reports that S Corey Graham visited with the Panthers last week, but the two sides could not agree on money.

Redskins

• Aaron Wilson reports that the Redskins worked out former Buccaneers safety Alex Gray on Thursday.