The Dallas Cowboys will have star running back Ezekiel Elliott at their disposal at least the next two games after the Fifth Circuit set a date of October 2, 2017 for an oral argument, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio has reported.
Florio reports the NFL’s six-game suspension could occur as soon as Week 5, if the Fifth Circuit “stays the injunction or rules that the injunction was erroneously granted in quickly after the October 2 hearing.”
Here’s a bit more legalese regarding the issue.
“The league’s primary argument arises from the fact that Elliott filed his lawsuit before arbitrator Harold Henderson issued a ruling on the appeal of the suspension, making the entire case premature and preventing the Texas federal court in which the lawsuit was filed from acquiring proper jurisdiction over the dispute.”
The long and short of this development is that Dallas will have Elliott Monday night against the Arizona Cardinals and the Sunday following that for a date against the Los Angeles Rams. Both teams feature defenses that could potentially give Dak Prescott trouble, so having Elliott certainly will be a boon.
We’ve noted in the past that it’s highly likely Elliott will play all year long, but at the least he’s there for the next two weeks.