INDIANAPOLIS — Randy Gregory is eligible to apply for reinstatement to the NFL, but the Dallas Cowboys are not planning to have their 2015 second-round pick in the fold in 2018.

“We assume worst-case on any situations, whether it’s the money or availability, especially if players are facing suspensions,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “Obviously last year when we knew (Ezekiel Elliott) faced a possible suspension we kept extra running backs, assuming worst case. So we have to move forward, assuming that Randy is not going to be here. If he is here, obviously it’s a big deal. First and foremost for him if he could get himself in a situation where he feels like he could actually play football.”

Gregory has played in two of the last 32 games for the Dallas Cowboys because of multiple suspensions for violating the NFL’s substance abuse program, missing the entire 2017 season.

• 

  The NFL competition committee was unanimous in saying that Dez Bryant’s reception in the 2014 NFC playoffs should have been ruled a catch, according to committee member John Mara.

Gregory gave something of an update via social media Monday: “It’s not how you start. It’s how you finish. Patience is key.”

The Cowboys are not allowed to have contact with Gregory, who was the 60th overall pick in 2015. He slipped in the draft because of off-field woes. He played in 12 games as a rookie but did not record a sack. He played in the final two games of the 2016 season and had one sack.

The Cowboys do not play a role in reinstatement. That comes from Gregory and his agent. Jones said it has been difficult for the Cowboys since they have not been able to keep tabs on Gregory.

“At the same time we obviously invested in Randy and wish nothing and hope for nothing but the best for Randy,” Jones said. “I know he’s on a journey and I know he’s trying to get his off the field situations worked out and he’s certainly got a lot of skill as a football player. But first and foremost he has to get himself personally and his physical well-being off the field in a good place.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers on Monday got younger and cleared nearly $6 million in salary-cap space by releasing starting free safety Kurt Coleman and defensive end Charles Johnson.

Coleman, who will turn 30 in July, was scheduled to count $5,150,000 against the 2018 salary cap. Releasing him cleared $2.65 million in cap space.

Releasing the 31-year-old Johnson, who signed a two-year extension last year worth $9.5 million, cleared another $3.25 million in space.

Coleman in 2016 signed a three-year extension worth $17 million with $7 million guaranteed. He originally joined the Panthers as a free agent in 2015, leading the team with seven interceptions. He had only four interceptions in 2016 and none this past season when he was named a team captain for the first time.

Johnson was suspended four games this past season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. He was inactive for the playoff game against New Orleans for an unspecified reason.

Johnson’s 67.5 sacks rank second on the team’s all-time list behind defensive end Julius Peppers, 38, who has yet to announce he is coming back for another season but reportedly is leaning toward a return.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin confirmed that Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will not be implemented for the 2018-19 Champions League campaign, but said he isn’t opposed to using the technology in the future.

Speaking to reporters following a UEFA meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia on Monday, Ceferin also revealed his doubts that VAR will be rolled out globally without many more tests being conducted beforehand.

“I think that (VAR) will be probably used at the World Cup,” Ceferin said, as quoted by Ben Rumsby of the Telegraph. “We will not use it from the next season in the Champions League. I can tell you that. But I’m absolutely not against it. I think there’s no way back anymore. But we have to educate the referees properly.

“Nobody exactly knows how it works, which might be a big problem. So, let’s see what happens at the World Cup and then we will decide.”

Ceferin previously pondered blocking the use of VAR in the Champions League while the technology is in its formative days, telling the Telegraph in January: “You have referees that do not understand it correctly; the fans don’t understand it correctly. So, in my opinion, it’s too early to make it a rule.”

He reaffirmed that position Monday, stating: “We shouldn’t rush into decisions that are not clear. For me, I see a lot of confusion from time to time. But that doesn’t mean that I’m against it or that I don’t think it will happen.”

The use of VAR was particularly controversial during Manchester United’s FA Cup tilt with Huddersfield Town two weeks ago. The replay showed uneven lines that seemed to wrongly place Juan Mata in an offside position for his goal, which was ruled out.

Hawk-Eye, the company behind VAR, later issued an apology for the incident.

VAR is currently being used and trialed in Major League Soccer, the German Bundesliga, and Italy’s Serie A, among other competitions across Europe.