Michael Sam, who first made headlines earlier this year as the first openly gay NFL player, as of Tuesday afternoon is no longer an NFL player. The Dallas Cowboys waived the rookie defensive end from the practice squad to make room on their roster to sign second-year linebacker Troy Davis.

Sam was drafted in the seventh round in May by the St. Louis Rams but failed to make their 53-man roster at the end of the preseason. He then was picked up by the Cowboys and added to their practice squad.

The 6-foot-2, 261-pound Sam, whose strength is as a pash rusher, is now free to sign with another team.

—Ray Rice will appeal his indefinite suspension from the NFL more than two months after commissioner Roger Goodell handed down the punishment, with a hearing set for Nov. 5-6 before former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones.

As reported Monday by The Sports Xchange, Jones will determine this week whether Goodell must testify during the appeal process he ordered.

The NFLPA has pushed for Goodell and any staff present in the first meeting with Rice following the former Ravens running back’s domestic violence incident to give their testimony to Jones. Rice’s representatives claim he told Goodell exactly what happened at a casino in February when he punched his then-fiancee and rendered her unconscious.

—Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly will not face a fine or discipline after the NFL admitted officials erred when the player was ejected at Green Bay on Sunday.

Kuechly swung his arms to free himself when he was restrained by back judge Steve Freeman with 1:39 left in the third quarter of the 38-17 loss. The league informed officials not to approach and grab players from the back, when in the heat of the moment they are prone to retaliate.

Linebacker Chase Blackburn, the Panthers’ players association rep, said Monday that he expected an apology from the NFL, which could have levied at fine of $27,562 for contact with a game official.

—Wide receiver A.J. Green said Tuesday that he would like to think he will make the final call on his playing status for Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.

“I’d like to think so … it’s up to the toe,” Green told the Dan Patrick Show.

Coach Marvin Lewis said Monday that he is optimistic Green will play for the first time in three games. Green has missed the past two games with a toe injury that also forced him to miss all but five snaps of the Sept. 14 home opener.

—Brett Favre’s reunion with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field next month is on hold, the former quarterback told ESPN.

Favre was scheduled to be part of a pregame ceremony on the field with Bart Starr on Nov. 9 before the Packers-Chicago Bears “Monday Night Football” game. Starr recently had a second stroke and recently had a heart attack, and is unlikely to be fit for the appearance. Favre told ESPN he doesn’t want to participate until Starr can also be there.

—The Buffalo Bills placed running back C.J. Spiller on injured reserve Tuesday but designated him for return.

To take the place of Spiller and injured Fred Jackson on the roster, the Bills signed free-agent running back Phillip Tanner.

Spiller sustained a broken collarbone and Jackson injured a groin in the Bills’ 17-16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Spiller will be eligible to return to the active roster for a Dec. 21 game against the Oakland Raiders after an eight-game absence.

—The NFL suspended defensive end Da’Quan Bowers of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without pay for two games after violating the league policy on performance enhancing substances.

The suspension begins immediately, forcing Bowers to miss the Buccaneers’ next two games. He’ll be eligible to return after a Nov. 2 game against the Cleveland Browns.

In four seasons with Tampa Bay, Bowers has 6 1/2 sacks, including one this year.

—The Washington Redskins replaced injured linebacker Brian Orakpo on the roster Tuesday by signing free-agent linebacker Everette Brown.

Orakpo suffered a torn right pectoral muscle during the Redskins’ 19-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. The six-year veteran will undergo surgery soon to repair the tear, the team said. He suffered the same injury in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

Brown rejoins the Redskins after spending the preseason with the team before his release on Aug. 30.

—Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne could miss one to two games after injuring an elbow during the 27-0 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

The injury, which occurred in the first quarter, isn’t believed to be serious and Wayne is hoping he doesn’t have to miss any games. But the Colts are still reviewing the test results.

Wayne had four catches for only 15 yards and two drops against the Bengals.

—Well-traveled return specialist Trindon Holliday signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday.

Holliday is in his fifth season and has four career regular-season returns for touchdowns. He also returned a punt and kickoff for a touchdown in the same playoff game in 2013 with the Denver Broncos. He averages 27.1 yards per kickoff return, but also has 10 fumbles on punt returns in his career and one on a kickoff return. He was waived by the New York Giants on Oct. 6 without appearing in a game.

—Tight end Gerell Robinson was signed by the Cleveland Browns, and defensive lineman Jacobbi McDaniel was waived to create a spot on the 53-man roster.

Robinson was inactive for Browns in the first three games and dressed but did not play in one other this season. He was waived on Oct. 18. McDaniel spent the first six weeks of the season on the Browns’ practice squad before making his NFL debut as a reserve at Jacksonville last week with Cleveland scrambling to field a healthy defensive line.

—A revolving door at running back is spinning again for the New Orleans Saints, who will be without Pierre Thomas for at least two weeks because of a shoulder injury.

Thomas left Sunday’s loss at Detroit early just as the Saints were getting Mark Ingram back from a fractured hand. Ingram was held to 16 yards on 10 attempts, and the Saints failed to reach the 100-yard mark as a team for the first time this season.

—The San Francisco 49ers made what has become a regular roster move on Tuesday, signing quarterback Josh Johnson to a one-year deal and releasing safety Bubba Ventrone. It is the fourth time since May that the 49ers have signed Johnson to a contract.

Johnson has not seen any game action this season. Ventrone had one tackle in the 49ers’ 42-17 loss to the Denver Broncos last week. He has played in two games this year.

—The New York Jets signed wide receiver Jeremy Kerley a four-year contract extension through 2018 reported to be worth $16 million.

The deal includes $5.4 million guaranteed, according to reports. Kerley was in the final year of his rookie contract.

The 5-foot-8 Kerley was drafted in the fifth round in 2011 and in his first three seasons in the NFL has averaged 40 catches per year. This season, he has 22 receptions for 201 yards and one touchdown.

—The Carolina Panthers elevated guard Chris Scott to the active roster from the practice squad and released cornerback Charles Godfrey on Tuesday.

Godfrey, drafted in the third round by the Panthers in 2008, started 75 of his 82 career games with Carolina. This year, he started once and had played in seven games at corner after returning from an 2013 Achilles injury.

Scott started eight games for the Panthers last season before he was released in August and then signed to the practice squad on Oct. 14.

—The New England Patriots added to their linebacking corps in a trade with the Tennessee Titans for Akeem Ayers, NFL.com reported Tuesday.

The deal, which is contingent on Ayers passing a physical, includes the Patriots giving up a sixth-round draft choice to the Titans for Ayers and Tennessee’s seventh-round pick.

Ayers, 25, had two knee surgeries during the offseason and was active in just two games and played only 10 snaps for the Titans this season. He also struggled last year with only 49 tackles and a sack after posting 104 tackles and six sacks in 2012.