It’s been more than four years since Brian Flores filed his landmark race discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and various teams. The case remains stuck at square one.
The six teams that are the subject of claims made by Flores, Steve Wilks, and Ray Horton — the Dolphins, Giants, Broncos, Texans, Cardinals, and Titans — continue to seek a stay of the proceedings, pending multiple different appeals. This week, the presiding judge declined to stay the litigation.
Currently, the Giants, Broncos, and Texans have a petition for appeal pending before the U.S. Supreme Court on the question of whether the claims made against them require mandatory arbitration. A ruling is expected within the next month or so. (The Supreme Court first has to accept the appeal before resolving the issue.)
The Dolphins, Cardinals, and Titans more recently had their efforts to force arbitration denied. That will inevitably be the subject of another petition for appeal to the Supreme Court, based on the broader conclusion that the NFL’s entire system of arbitration controlled by the NFL has been struck down.
Like most defendants to civil litigation, there’s value in slowing the process down as much as possible. Flores, Wilks, and Horton want to move the case along.
While, like all parties in civil cases, appeal rights can be exercised as to certain issues before the case has ended, there’s a point at which justice delayed becomes justice denied. It has been more than four years. At some point, it’s time to start addressing the merits of the case, and to stop spinning the wheels of the court system on the threshold question of where and how the case is going to be litigated.
As to the notion that the case would have moved faster if the plaintiffs had accepted the league’s arbitration procedures (even if the process is inherently rigged against them), consider this — the league’s designated arbitrator (according to the plaintiffs) did nothing with the claims for more than a year.
A defendant to a civil case can run, but it cannot hide. Unfortunately, the NFL and the six teams that have been sued have managed to run an ultramarathon in the effort to avoid having to answer the specific claims that Flores, Wilks, and Horton have made.
Common sense suggests that, if the NFL and the six teams had any real confidence in its arguments on the merits, they would eventually stand and fight instead.
Philadelphia has added a running back.
The Eagles announced on Thursday that they’ve agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Dameon Pierce.
Pierce, 25, was most recently with the Chiefs in 2025, appearing in one game for the club. He had signed with Kansas City off of Houston’s practice squad, where he’d previously spent all of his career.
The Texans selected Pierce in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. He appeared in 42 games with 20 starts for the club, rushing for 1,674 yards and eight touchdowns. He also caught 45 passes for 268 yards with one TD.
Pierce’s best season came in 2022 as a rookie, as he totaled 1,104 yards from scrimmage with five total touchdowns.
New Houston running back David Montgomery says he’s had respect for the Texans organization since long before the Lions traded him there last week.
Montgomery talked in a video for the Texans’ social media about his experience as a Lions-Texans joint practice in training camp, and hearing Lions coach Dan Campbell talk about his respect for Texans coach DeMeco Ryans.
“When I was in Detroit, Coach Campbell would talk about Coach Ryans all the time,” Montgomery said. “When we had joint practices or he was talking about another coach, he always would talk about Coach Ryans. So now, to be under him and see, and be a part of it now, I’m super excited. I couldn’t think of a more ideal place to be.”
Montgomery said he thinks his playing style is going to be a great fit in Houston.
“I’m just coming to be myself,” Montgomery said. “I think myself has been enough for my previous teams.”
The Texans think he’s enough to make a significant improvement to their offense in 2026.
The Lions signed unrestricted free agent Damone Clark on Wednesday, the team announced.
Clark, 25, finished last season with the Texans, who claimed him off waivers from the Cowboys on Nov. 19.
In six games with Houston, Clark played 23 defensive snaps and 131 on special teams. He made 14 tackles.
The Cowboys made Clark a fifth-round pick in 2020, and he started 17 games for the team in 2023 when he posted 109 tackles and three quarterback hits.
Clark will replace Grant Stuard as a core special teams player. Stuard, who led the team in special teams snaps last season, left in free agency. Clark will join a linebackers room with Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez and Trevor Nowaske.
Clark has appeared in 55 career games with 26 starts and has totaled 190 total tackles, six tackles for loss, four pass defenses and two forced fumbles.
A new guard has landed in Houston.
Wyatt Teller has agreed to sign a two-year deal with the Texans, according to a report from NFL Media.
Teller was No. 58 on PFT’s list of the top 100 free agents of 2026.
Teller, 31, had spent the majority of his career with the Browns, playing for the club for the last seven seasons. He is a three-time Pro Bowler, having been selected in 2021, 2022, and 2023. He was also a second-team All-Pro in 2020 and 2021.
Teller started his career with Buffalo as a fifth-round pick in 2018 before he was traded to the Browns in August 2019.
He has appeared in 109 career games with 101 starts, starting 13 contests in each of the last two seasons.
