NFL Notes: Ezekiel Elliott, Supplemental Draft, CBA

Ezekiel Elliott

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott posted the following statement on his Twitter account Tuesday following his meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. 

“Earlier today, I met with the Commissioner to share with him what occurred in Las Vegas and what I have learned from that incident. 

“I’ve worked harder to make better decisions and to live up to the high standards that are expected of me. 

“I failed to do that here and I made a poor decision. 

“I apologized to Kyle Johnson at the time and I meant it. 

“I need to work harder to ensure I do not put myself in compromised situations in the future. I am rededicating myself to use all of the resources that the league has made available. But in the end, it is up to me and I am determined not to be in this position again.”

• Mike Garafolo of NFL Media mentions that his “educated hunch” is that Elliott will not be suspended by the NFL. 
• Garafolo reports that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sent the team’s counsel to the meeting with Goodell, which is the same as he did back in 2017. 

Supplemental Draft

• The Athletic’s Dane Brugler writes that Washington State S Jalen Thompson and West Virginia WR Marcus Simms are the two players most likely to be drafted in the supplemental draft next week. 
• Brugler says Thompson is the best Washington State defensive prospect since S Deone Bucannon and compares him to Lions S Glover Quin.
• Brugler mentions Thompson could go in the third or fourth round of the supplemental draft. 
• Brugler compares Simms to Dolphins WR Kenny Stills and says a team could spend anywhere from a fifth to a seventh-round pick on him. 
• Brugler adds there are concerns about his maturity, as Simms had two DUI’s in two different states and other minor marijuana-related offenses. 

CBA

• According to Josina Anderson, the NFL and NFLPA have scheduled negotiations from July 17-19. 
• Though negotiations have been cordial to this point, Anderson says both sides will lay their biggest and most contentious demands on the table during the July sessions.
• Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has taken a primary role in CBA negotiations this cycle. 
• Jones has a solid reputation as a dealmaker, but can also talk too much and ruffle some feathers according to some sources. Jones and Bills LB Lorenzo Alexander had a spirited discussion about player health and safety at one session earlier this year. 
• Florio mentions there’s a belief that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wants to ride the momentum of a new CBA into a new set of TV deals for the league, then “ride off into the sunset.”