The Dallas Cowboys would like to stay committed to Brandon Weeden, but how long that will last is uncertain. The backup quarterback put together a very strong first half against the Atlanta Falcons, but an interception led to his downfall in the game. The Cowboys have remained complimentary of the quarterback, but have made it clear that Matt Cassel is waiting in the wings and improving much faster as they wait for Tony Romo to heal.
Following the injury to Romo, the Cowboys acquired Cassel in a trade from the Buffalo Bills. Cassel was in the mix to start at one point for the team until Tyrod Taylor took over. Now with Weeden putting together a bad half of football while the Cowboys earned their first loss of the year, some are calling for the veteran to take over. Cassel has been with the team for a week now, but head coach Jason Garrett says he is coming along quickly.
"He's working hard at it," Garrett said, via ESPN.com. "He's a smart guy. He's an experienced guy. I think it comes to him quickly. "You ask him to call plays, 'Give me a play call. What's the adjustment?' like you're a teacher. You're constantly asking him questions, and you're trying to put him in situations as best you can to see what he knows. Did a lot of work with the two-minute stuff with the coaches last week during the defensive period. Those kinds of things. He can speak the language."
Right now, Weeden is the starter, but his leash is short. Owner Jerry Jones likes what he sees from the backup. Some sources have quoted him saying he is a better passer than Troy Aikman. Terrance Williams might deny that after the receiver failed to acquire a catch in Week 3 causing some social media drama. However, Jones says that while he is not comparing Weeden to Aikman, he does believe the backup can get the job done regardless of one performance.
"Because I said Weeden had a big beautiful stroke, I got accused of saying, 'Well, he can throw a better ball than Aikman.' Now that's BS. We all know that. We all know that," Jones said via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.
The Cowboys will go with Weeden until he gives them another reason not to. Romo is not expected back on the field until Week 11. Dallas has the benefit of playing in a division where every team is recording losses right now. Weeden must rely more on Williams and Cole Beasley while continuing to get passes to Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar. If he cannot throw a better deep ball, the Cowboys offense will be in trouble regardless of when Dez Bryant comes back.