Another season, another Tony Romo injury. The quarterback suffered his second collarbone injury of the season which will knock him out for the year and now the Cowboys are left to determine what to do next. For the short-term, Matt Cassel is the starter, but what about the long-term? The Cowboys are getting to the point where they might not be able to count on Romo to be healthy which begs the question of where they look next for a starter.
ESPN's Adam Schefter has opted to stir the pot on this issue. According to the NFL Insider, the idea that the Cowboys will try and trade for Johnny Manziel is a realistic option. Now, remember Dallas fans, this is mere speculation. Schefter has nothing to back up this idea other than that owner Jerry Jones was very enamored by Manziel when he was in the draft and the second-year quarterback would be an easy acquisition to play behind Romo.
The move is not a terrible idea for Dallas. The Cowboys will enter next season with Romo has the undisputed starter for the team. That ends any debate of a quarterback competition which would allow Manziel to sit and learn behind a top veteran in the league. He could then potentially be the insurance and future of the quarterback position if things go well. If the Cowboys were to try and acquire Manziel, it would not be to make him an immediate starter, but more to develop him for the future.
I think Jerry and I will put our heads together with Jason and (senior director college/pro personnel Will McClay) and what we did this year didn't work," team vice president Stephen Jones said, via ESPN.com. "There's no denying that. When something doesn't work and bites you in the butt like it did, we've got to re-look at everything. I think that will be one of the big, big discussions of ours in the offseason, what our strategy is there."
The Cowboys are set for the future on offense. With Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams running the sidelines and Darren McFadden having a breakout season in the backfield, they are designed for success over the next few years. The biggest issue holding them back is Romo's health and the fact that he is an aging quarterback. Likely to earn a top pick in the draft this year, the Cowboys must look at quarterbacks.
This year's draft class does not have a lot of standout names at the quarterback position like it did last year. Paxton Lynch out of Memphis, Connor Cook from Michigan State and Cody Kessler from USC could be the top names to look at. The Cowboys could also try and trade for someone like Mike Glennon or Zach Mettenberger who have fallen out of favor with their teams, but are young and could develop behind Romo.
