NFL notebook: Cowboys WR Williams suspended 3 games

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrance Williams was suspended three games without pay for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, the NFL announced on Thursday. According to ESPN, the penalty falls under the NFL's substance abuse policy stemming from a summer intoxication arrest. The Cowboys placed Williams on injured reserve Oct. 6 because of a foot injury, but he can serve the suspension while on injured reserve. Williams, who is in the second year of a four-year, $17 million deal, is eligible to play Dec. 9 at home against the Eagles. Also Thursday, Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee participated fully in practice and is likely to play on Sunday against Washington after missing three games with a hamstring injury. Lee, a Pro Bowl selection in 2015 and 2016, made 20 total tackles in the three games he played this season, all as a starter. He had 101 tackles last season, when he was limited to 11 games. The Cowboys got other good news on the injury front. Defensive end Randy Gregory (knee) and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (shoulder) both went through full practices. --Cleveland Browns cornerback E.J. Gaines was placed in the concussion protocol and will not play in Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gaines had been starting in place of the injured Terrance Mitchell, but he arrived at practice Thursday complaining of concussion symptoms, according to head coach Hue Jackson. Jackson announced that Gaines will not play on Sunday and said T.J. Carrie, who had been playing nickelback, will probably start at cornerback opposite Denzel Ward. The Browns will use Briean Boddy-Calhoun as the nickelback. The Browns are down two cornerbacks as they prepare to face the NFL's top-ranked passing offense. The Bucs have 16 passing touchdowns compared to one rushing touchdown this season. --The 2018 season has not gone well for the Oakland Raiders in Jon Gruden's return as head coach, and the NFL reportedly added a little misery. The Raiders were fined $20,000 for an injury report violation, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. The Raiders failed to downgrade guard Kelechi Osemele from "questionable" to "out" when he did not travel with the team to their Week 5 game against the Chargers in Los Angeles. The league's rules require road teams to report players who don't make the trip. The Raiders listed Osemele as questionable for the game, but they did not downgrade him to out when he stayed home. Osemele has not played since Week 4 because of a knee injury. Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette did not practice again and could miss a third straight game Sunday against the Houston Texans. Fournette has been dealing with a hamstring injury that has limited him to parts of two games. He was hurt in the season opener against the New York Giants and aggravated the injury in Week 4 against the New York Jets. There have been multiple reports out of Jacksonville suggesting that Fournette will be held out of the lineup through the team's Week 9 bye. --Ryan Tannehill will sit out a second straight game for the Miami Dolphins this weekend while he deals with a right shoulder injury. Earlier this week, Dolphins coach Adam Gase was unable to provide a timetable for the return of Tannehill, who was a surprise addition to the team's injury report on Friday before he was listed as inactive for Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears. On Thursday, Gase told reporters that surgical options are not under consideration for Tannehill, who missed the entire 2017 season due to a torn ACL. Brock Osweiler will be under center for the Dolphins (4-2) in their game versus the Lions (2-3) on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. --The San Francisco 49ers have been without their top three offensive skill players for the bulk of the season. Having already lost starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and No. 1 running back Jerick McKinnon to season-ending injuries, the 49ers received a boost with the return of Marquise Goodwin to the lineup in Monday night's loss to the Green Bay Packers. Goodwin suffered a quadriceps injury early in the season opener at Minnesota and appeared in parts of two games prior to Monday night, posting just five catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. After sitting out a Week 5 loss to previously winless Arizona due to hamstring and quad injuries, Goodwin had four receptions for 126 yards and a pair of touchdowns versus Green Bay. That included a 67-yard scoring strike from quarterback C.J. Beathard. --The Los Angeles Chargers received a glimmer of positive news on their best pass rusher. Defensive end Joey Bosa's father told SiriusXM NFL Radio that his son is on target to return to the field within "a few weeks." Bosa initially was dealing with what has been termed a bone bruise in his left foot. He suffered that injury during practice on Aug. 11 and has yet to see the field this season. The 23-year-old Bosa said he aggravated the injury while attempting to practice during the week before the season opener, telling reporters he was putting a lot of pressure on himself to get back in the lineup. --Green Bay Packers tight end Lance Kendricks is facing legal issues stemming from an incident 13 months ago. The Outagamie County (Wis.) District Attorney's office is preparing criminal drug charges against Kendricks, the Journal Sentinel of Milwaukee reported Wednesday. The charges are expected to be filed in the near future and are related to a traffic stop in September 2017, in which Kendricks was cited for marijuana possession. However, that charge, which is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, was dismissed last week. According to court records, Kendricks was stopped by a state trooper while driving home from a football game at the University of Wisconsin. He was pulled over for driving 81 mph in a 70-mph zone. When the trooper smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle, he conducted a search and found a bag of marijuana. Kendricks subsequently was cited for possession of THC in December. Kendricks could be subject to discipline by the league under the NFL's substance abuse policy. Two of his Green Bay teammates, wide receiver Geronimo Allison and running back Aaron Jones, have been suspended for marijuana-related issues.