The Dallas Cowboys are hopeful when it comes to Tony Romo. The quarterback's health is once again up in the air following a broken left collarbone suffered on Monday night. According to Todd Archer via ESPN.com, Romo took to Twitter to stress that he will be ok and will not require surgery which means he might be back sooner rather than later. The issue is sooner means seven weeks instead of 10. So where do the Cowboys go from here?
Archer reports the Cowboys are leaning towards placing Romo on injured reserve/designated to return. That would make him available Nov. 22 against the Miami Dolphins or potentially the Thanksgiving game against the Carolina Panthers. Either way, the Cowboys are without their quarterback for some time which pairs with the injury to Dez Bryant that could leave him out for six to eight weeks.
ESPN's Josina Anderson is reporting that the Cowboys are eyeing veteran quarterbacks for roster depth. Anderson writes that the Cowboys are flying in Christian Ponder who was most recently with the Oakland Raiders, Josh Johnson and Matt Flynn. All three quarterbacks are fine for depth, but not ok if the Cowboys intend to stay in playoff contention. Dallas still has a roster made to compete, but an issue with the quarterback could be their downfall.
For now, Brandon Weeden is the starter. Head coach Jason Garrett has stressed his confidence in the backup quarterback who came into the game and tossed a touchdown to Terrance Williams. Weeden has been hot and cold in his time as the starting quarterback. With a running back tandem in Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden that is lackluster at best and questions about ability at the receiver position, Weeden could struggle. Garrett believes he can handle carrying the team right now.
"I do think he has a poise and composure about him," Garrett said, via ESPN.com. "He's not someone who gets overly excited. I just think he plays with a good demeanor and I think the players around him have confidence in him, and he goes in and executes ball plays. He does his job. So he has to continue to do that. He's gotten a lot of reps in Tony's absence from practice the last couple of years and I think that has benefited him."
For now, do not expect the Cowboys to seek out a trade deal. SportingNews.com suggested that the Cowboys take a very serious look at Robert Griffin III. While his contract is heavy, he could be the future of the team once they move on from Romo. The chance the Cowboys make that move is slim to none. Owner Jerry Jones is more than committed to Romo regardless of his health status. That likely means players like Mike Glennon and Zach Mettenberger will also not get a look. For now it is Weeden all the way in Dallas.
