Tony Romo

La Canfora’s Latest: Brees, Romo, Cam

September 11th, 2016 at 11:20am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at some of the latest news and notes from CBS Sports scribe Jason La Canfora:

Drew Brees and the Saints agreed to an extension just a few days ago, but negotiations had stalled for months earlier this year prior to both sides finally striking an accord. During that time, Brees’ representatives began exploring potential suitors for 2017, and the Cardinals were the top team on their list (this was before Arizona inked Carson Palmer to his own extension). La Canfora’s sources also indicated that the Jets would have been interested in Brees had he hit the open market in 2017.
There is good news for Cowboys fans on the Tony Romo front, as La Canfora reports that Romo is making good progress from the fractured vertebrae he suffered in his back during the team’s third preseason game, and he is on track to play in Week 7. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (article via Kevin Patra of NFL.com) suggests that even if Romo is ready to go, he may not have a job to come back to. After speaking with team sources, Rapoport reports that the door is open, albeit slightly, for rookie Dak Prescott to impress enough to pull a Lou Gehrig and take Romo’s job on a permanent basis.
The NFLPA has asked for a formal investigation into the handling of the helmet-to-helmet hit that Panthers QB Cam Newton took on Thursday night’s season opener. The investigation will be conducted jointly by the NFL and NFLPA, and if the Association’s findings conflict with the league’s findings, the Association can appeal to a neutral arbitrator, who has the authority to discipline the Panthers and others who were responsible for Newton’s well-being (potential consequences include fines and loss of draft picks). The fact that an investigation has been initiated does not mean that that the league’s concussion protocol was applied improperly, it simply reflects an obligation to ensure the health and safety of the league’s players. This marks the first time the enforcement element of the protocol has been exercised (all links go to Twitter).
Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston, who signed a massive contract extension prior to the 2015 season, is still recovering from a significant knee injury and will not be back until November at the earliest, according to a team source. That source believes Week 9 is the earliest Houston could return to the field, though the team will reevaluate during its Week 5 bye.

Cowboys Won’t Place Tony Romo On IR

September 6th, 2016 at 9:22am CST by Zachary Links

The NFL’s new rules for the injured reserve list allow teams to bring one player back from IR without having to designate that player for return in advance. That tweak gives teams lots of flexibility, though any player placed on IR before the season cannot be brought back before Week 8. With that in mind, the Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said in a radio interview that he will not put Tony Romo on IR, leaving open the possibility that he could return to the team sooner than that (link via ESPN.com’s Todd Archer).

[RELATED: Romo’s Prognosis Worsens]

In Jones’ mind, the 53rd player on the roster would not be more valuable than what the return of Romo could mean. When asked if Romo could return before the Oct. 30 game vs. the Eagles, Jones said he would not rule anything out.

On one hand, giving up a roster spot for several weeks is a bold move for any team with playoff aspirations. On the other hand, the Cowboys are entrusting the quarterback job to a fourth-round rookie and it would be foolish for the Cowboys to keep Romo benched for an additional week or two in the event that Dak Prescott falters. Dallas added Mark Sanchez as a backup this weekend, but it’s not clear what he has to offer after being discarded by the Broncos.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Tony Romo’s Prognosis Worsens

September 1st, 2016 at 8:58am CST by Zachary Links

Initially, when Tony Romo went down with a back injury, the word was that he would be sidelined for six to ten weeks. Turns out, six weeks was a bit too optimistic as a best case scenario. Romo will be out for eight to ten weeks, a source tells Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram.

The new timetable means that the Cowboys will be leaning on rookie Dak Prescott for a bit longer than initially anticipated. It also effects how the Cowboys will handle Romo’s absence from a roster perspective. Now that Romo is out for a minimum of two months, the team is more likely to use the IR/DTR designation on him to allow for a mid-season return.

Romo suffered a compression fracture to his L1 vertebrae and that must fully heal before he will be allowed to play. In 2014, Romo was able to tough it out and play through two transverse process fractures in his back, but that is considered to be less serious of a problem. Transverse process fractures are considered to be more like a muscle tear where as Romo’s currently injury is more like a bone fracture.

“We’re certainly getting our hands around it,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said of the roster decision on Wednesday, before the latest update on Romo’s timetable. “We’ll be needing to make that decision obviously sometime later in the weekend. Whatever we do with him, he’ll need to be on our 53 when we cut it on Friday. So you’ve got to have him through the 53 cut before you can put him on designated to return, if we wanted to consider that. But it may be that we just keep him on the roster. We’ll just see.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cowboys Won’t Rule Out Prescott Bumping Romo

August 29th, 2016 at 10:57am CST by Zachary Links

In 2001, Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe was hit hard by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis and shut down for the season with a sheared blood vessel in his chest. After that, a quarterback by the name of Tom Brady stepped into the starting lineup and never gave the job back. Could we see a repeat of that in Dallas now that Tony Romo will be sidelined for an extended period? For what it’s worth, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones won’t rule out a scenario in which rookie Dak Prescott impresses and runs away with the starting gig (via Peter King of The MMQB).

“I can’t imagine a scenario where Tony’s not our quarterback when he’s ready,” Jones said. “But things happen. You know that. You know what happened to Bledsoe and Brady. I’m sure Tony’s aware of that. But the reality is, Tony’s going to come back for us and play great, we believe.”

It’s worth noting that Prescott will have a fairly manageable schedule to kick off the season. The Cowboys first six games in order are against the Giants (home), Redskins (away), Bears (home), 49ers (away), Bengals (home), and Packers (away). For now, the Cowboys are planning on Romo regaining the starting job once he is healthy. But, the team knows that the rookie could potentially unseat the 36-year-old QB.

In his chat with Jones, King mentioned the Cowboys’ efforts to trade up for Paxton Lynch in this year’s draft. While the Cowboys whiffed on Lynch, Jones now says that team is thrilled with Prescott and happy with the way things turned out.

“I don’t think our guys would even consider trading Prescott for Lynch right now,” said Jones. “No, I know they wouldn’t. That’s how much they like Dak right now.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Tony Romo, Dak Prescott

August 28th, 2016 at 12:17pm CST by Rory Parks

The injury that Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo suffered Thursday night is a compression fracture of the L1 vertebra, and while it will not require surgery, Romo could miss six to 10 weeks, as ESPN.com’s Todd Archer reports. Despite the injury, and despite his age (36), Romo is not considering retirement and has no doubt that he will return to the field this season, as ESPN’s Ed Werder tweets.

Rookie signal-caller Dak Prescott, who has been impressive in training camp and in preseason action, will get the nod in Romo’s absence. And there are those who believe the job should not simply be handed back to Romo upon his return. Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, for instance, concedes that Romo’s contract–which makes him virtually uncuttable through 2017–and his history with the club mean that he will likely be reinserted in the starting lineup when he is healthy. However, Robinson also notes that Dallas is getting very little return on Romo’s six-year, $108 million contract extension, and if Prescott performs as well in the regular season as he has in the preseason–a big “if” to be sure–the club should think twice about yanking Prescott, especially since the team should only be thinking about Romo in terms of weeks and months, and not years, at this point.

Joel Corry of CBS Sports believes Romo may be an ideal candidate for short-term injured reserve. The Cowboys could place him on IR now, and although only one player on injured reserve may return to the active roster in any given year, Dallas does not have to designate who that player will be right away. As Corry writes, “Putting Romo on IR would remove the temptation for Dallas to rush him back on the field before he has sufficiently recovered, especially if Prescott falters, when the risk of re-injury would be greater.” Plus, even though Romo would be ineligible to return before Week 9 if the Cowboys go that route, that would not be a major concern in this case. As Corry points out, “Considering that Dallas’ bye is in Week 7, Romo would only be missing one game, the Week 8 contest [against Philadelphia], over the most optimistic estimated return time by going on IR.”

Corry also explores free agent quarterbacks that Dallas could pursue. The potential options in that regard are predictably less than intriguing, with names like Josh Freeman and Michael Vick topping the list (the team could also seek a reunion with Brandon Weeden if he is ultimately cut by the Texans). Alternatively, Dallas could look to trade for a player like Cleveland’s Josh McCown, Denver’s Mark Sanchez, or the Jets’ Geno Smith. It should not cost more than a late-round 2017 or 2018 draft pick to acquire a quarterback of that caliber, and instead of giving up a pick, the Cowboys could also look to deal a player from a position of strength (Darren McFadden and Ronald Leary are two names that jump immediately to mind).

In any event, the Cowboys appear to be approaching a crossroad in franchise history, and Prescott’s performance over the first half of the season will go a long way in dictating which path the team will take.

Photo courtesy of USA TOday Sports Images

Tony Romo Suffers Broken Bone In Back

August 27th, 2016 at 3:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

3:26pm: Romo’s path back to the field will be a longer process compared to when he played through broken bones in his back. Whereas that injury featured two fractured transverse process, this one involves an actual fractured vertebra, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports (on Twitter).

3:22pm: A return date for the injured passer could loom Oct. 30, which features a Sunday-night game between the Cowboys and Eagles. A source informs Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Week 8 likely will be Romo’s season debut. Dallas’ bye comes in Week 7.

1:49pm: The Cowboys once again are looking at the prospect of Tony Romo missing potentially significant time this season. The team announced today, via Adam Schefter (on Twitter), the 14th-year quarterback suffered broken bone in his back during the Cowboys’ third preseason game on Thursday night.

Dallas expects Romo to miss between six and 10 weeks, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Although Jason Garrett isn’t prepared to rule out the franchise quarterback for Week 1, La Canfora reports (via Twitter) Romo will likely be out beyond that date.

Romo suffered two broken bones in his back in 2014 but played anyway that season and underwent back surgery in 2013. The Cowboys are not revealing a timetable on Romo after his latest setback, only saying he’s not out for the season, per Schefter (Twitter link).

An MRI Friday revealed the diagnosis, one that could well turn Dak Prescott from preseason wonder to opening-day starter. The Cowboys looked into backup quarterbacks this offseason and discussed signing Nick Foles but opted to go with Prescott after news of Kellen Moore‘s broken ankle surfaced earlier this month.

A Cliff Avril hit forced Romo out of the Cowboys-Seahawks game Thursday after three plays, but the signal-caller walked off under his own power, threw passes on the sideline and lobbied to return to the game. Jerry Jones said on Thursday night Romo would be fine for Week 1. The latest revelations here appear to have adjusted that timeline.

The 36-year-old passer underwent collarbone surgery this offseason after seeing his 2015 season defined by collarbone maladies. This one could well be defined by a play that occurred before the regular season began. A return between Weeks 5-9 looks probable, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.

The Cowboys’ starter since October of 2006, Romo is signed through 2019. The four-time Pro Bowler inked a six-year extension in March of 2013 and has cap numbers of $20.8MM and $24.7MM in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Jones has previously stated he envisions Romo playing a few more years with the Cowboys, but the owner did publicly lament not doing enough to trade up to acquire Paxton Lynch in the first round this April.

Romo guided the Cowboys to the playoffs in 2007, ’09 and ’14, but the team slunk to last in the NFC East without him for most of last season. Dallas, of course, waited to address the position until the fourth round by taking Prescott. The Mississippi State breakout star has accounted himself well this preseason, throwing for five touchdowns and rushing for two without throwing an interception, but was viewed as a developmental prospect coming out of school.

If the Cowboys now at long last want to acquire a veteran backup, Jimmy Clausen and Tarvaris Jackson remain on the market. The team did not express interest in Michael Vick despite his interest following the Moore injury.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Elliott, Romo, Eagles

May 26th, 2016 at 10:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Are expectations too high for Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliott? ESPN.com’s Todd Archer fears that the bar is being set a little high as Elliott is already being considered a frontrunner for the offensive rookie of the year award. The hype, of course, is understandable. Elliott was taken with the No. 4 overall pick in the draft thanks to his well-rounded skill set and body of work at Ohio State. Now, he’s entering a near perfect situation with a killer offensive line and a passing game led by Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, and Jason Witten that will keep defenses honest. Still, Elliott isn’t even old enough to drink (he turns 21 in July) and plenty of talented rookies have faltered out of the gate.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

This offseason, there was pressure on the Cowboys to select Romo’s successor. However, after whiffing on Paxton Lynch, they didn’t exactly find their quarterback of the future. While some fans may fret over Dallas’ situation under center, Romo says that he probably has four or five years left in the tank. “I’m not in my mid-20s anymore, but I do think based on what my situation has been like the last three or four years, I do think this [offseason] is drastically different,” Romo said (link via Archer). Romo missed 12 games last season because of a broken left collarbone. He also has had a pair of operations on his back.
Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz believes that newcomer Rodney McLeod and Malcolm Jenkins could form the best safety tandem in the NFL, as Josh Paunil of Philadelphia Magazine writes. “That was money well spent,” Schwartz said. “I’m sort of violating my rule with judging too much into this time of year, (but Jenkins and McLeod) are veteran players and you can see that right away. They’re both multi-dimensional. They communicate very well. They can cover a lot of ground. They can blitz, they can play man, they can play zone. I’d be very surprised as the year went on if they’re not one of the better safety tandems in the NFL. They’ve been very impressive so far.” In February, Jenkins and the Eagles agreed to a four-year extension worth $35MM that will keep him in Philly through the 2020 season. In his two seasons with the Eagles, Jenkins has averaged 92 tackles per season, grabbed five total interceptions – including two for touchdowns – and earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2015. McLeod, meanwhile, inked a five-year, $37MM with the Eagles in March.
Cowboys offensive lineman Ronald Leary is abstaining from OTAs and reportedly wants to be traded. Leary started at left guard for Dallas in 2013 and 2014 and opened the 2015 season in the same capacity. However, he was eventually leapfrogged by rookie La’el Collins.

Extra Points: Browns, Romo, Jaguars, Bills

May 14th, 2016 at 8:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns have several options to choose from as they select their starting quarterback — they did not promise a starting job to Robert Griffin III, third-round rookie Cody Kessler is expected to be given an opportunity to compete, and even Josh McCown is still a threat to earn the starting role. And though head coach Hue Jackson says Cleveland will choose a starter “way before” the season begins, the club doesn’t feel the need to rush when naming its No. 1 signal-caller.

“It’s too soon,” Jackson told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “We haven’t gotten into OTAs yet. We just have had offseason and voluntary veteran minicamp and now we’ve got the rookies in and I think that’s way too soon. I would never do that. Again, every position is earned. There’s always competition and there’s a reason behind it.

“At some point in time, I’m sure with [GM] Sashi [Brown] and myself, we’ll make a decision on which direction to go, and it will be the right time. Timing is everything and we’ll get there when we need to.”

Here’s the latest look around the NFL…

After undergoing a procedure on his clavicle in early March, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is having a productive camp, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. “There’s absolutely nothing negative that can be said about where he is,” said owner Jerry Jones. “Everything they hoped to accomplish technically from appraisal of surgery has gone well. Everything he’s done regarding his strength, everything regarding what he’s wanted to do, he’s been able to do.” Dallas does not expect Romo to be on a “pitch count” through the summer, per Archer.
The Jaguars would have considered Ryan Kelly in the second round of last month’s draft, as offensive coordinator Greg Olson tells Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union that Kelly would have been the club’s starting center from “day one.” Instead, Jacksonville will move Brandon Linder to center, opening a spot for former Cowboy Mackenzy Bernadeau at guard. The 30-year-old Bernadeau, signed to a two-year deal in March, has 49 NFL starts under his belt.
The Bills don’t have a ton of depth at wide receiver behind Sammy Watkins, meaning they’ll be counting on Dri Archer, Marquise Goodwin, and rookie Kolby Listenbee to post some sort of production. As Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News notes, if the Bills are able to coax something out of that trifecta, offensive coordinator Greg Roman could have a good shot at landing a head coaching job during the next hiring cycle.

East Rumors: McCoy, Fins, Pats, Jets, Cowboys

April 16th, 2016 at 3:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although LeSean McCoy was cleared of wrongdoing from the alleged brawl that took place involving the Bills running back and off-duty Philadelphia police officers, the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office will review the Philadelphia district attorney’s decision not to charge McCoy for the Feb. 7 incident, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports.

State Solicitor General Bruce Castor said McCoy and others possibly involved in the fight “are not totally cleared” of charges despite Philadelphia DA Seth Williams’ decision earlier this month not to charge the former Eagles ball-carrier. If the Pennsylvania DA’s office determines McCoy should have been charged for his role in the melee, Rodak reports it could ask a court to overturn Williams’ decision.

Citing insufficient evidence, Williams cleared McCoy of potential charges. Although we heard earlier this week McCoy is unlikely to face an NFL suspension despite the league conducting its own investigation, an overturn of Williams’ decision would increase the likelihood the Bills’ starting running back would miss time this season.

Here’s more from the Eastern divisions.

Ezekiel Elliott will visit the Dolphins on Monday and Tuesday, James Walker of ESPN.com reports. Miami having lost Lamar Miller and missed out on signing C.J. Anderson and Chris Johnson makes the team’s interest in backfield help fairly clear. “They do have a hole at running back, and they do have some good people around on offense,” Elliott said. “It seems like the running back is the spot that they’re missing out on. So I think it would be a pretty good fit.”
The Patriots do not treat their 30 allotted pre-draft visits like recruiting trips as some of their NFL brethren do, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports, with the six-time 21st-century AFC champions devoting an entire work day (8 a.m.-5 p.m.) to meeting with the prospect(s) in their facility rather than taking the player(s) to dinner. The secretive organization also prefers the players it’s serious about drafting not to leak word of the visit. The Pats abruptly cancelled Nate Solder‘s 2011 meeting when details of the summit surfaced, but New England drafted the tackle anyway.
Recently released defensive tackle Dominique Easley sent out an Instagram post thanking the Patriots for his time there, Volin relays. The Globe reporter notes upon Easley being drafted in the first round two years ago, he soon wanted nothing to do with the organization, refusing to listen to the team regarding his knee rehab process.
Former Patriots practice squad quarterback Garrett Gilbert will count $9K toward New England’s 2016 salary cap after winning a grievance related to a roster bonus that the team didn’t pay when the Lions claimed him last June, Volin reports. Gilbert has yet to throw a regular-season pass but did collect a Super Bowl ring from his work with the 2014 Patriots.
A Manhattan federal judge ordered the video from a 2012 incident involving Brandon Marshall to be made public, Kimberley Martin of Newsday reports. A federal jury last week found the Jets wideout not liable for one count of assault and one count of battery in the civil case in which a woman claimed the then-Dolphins wideout punched her in the face.
Tony Romo said Saturday he’s resumed throwing and has been delivering passes using his full throwing motion for nearly two weeks, per the Cowboys website. Recovery time from the Mumford procedure Romo underwent for his troublesome collarbone issues March 8 was slated at six-to-eight weeks.
Cowboys personnel worked out Jared Goff on Saturday morning in Berkley, Calif. Jason Garrett and Jerry Jones were among the team’s representatives there, and Jones, per Peter King (on Twitter), loved what he saw from the Cal quarterback. The Cowboys pick fourth, and after the Rams’ trade that allowed them to vault from No. 15 to No. 1, and may not be in position to take Goff any longer.

Extra Points: Hasselbeck, Powell, Vernon

March 8th, 2016 at 10:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Former Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is set to join the cast of ESPN’s Sunday Countdown, sources tell Jason McIntyre of the Big Lead, who adds that a retirement announcement from Hasselbeck could come as soon as tomorrow. Indianpolis informed Hasselbeck that it would not re-sign him late last month:

More from around the league before the craziness starts tomorrow:

The Patriots are interested in free agent running back Bilal Powell, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. The Jets, Powell’s club for the duration of his career, already lost one RB earlier tonight when Chris Ivory agreed to sign with the Jaguars.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports is the latest to confirm rumors that the Dolphins may rescind Olivier Vernon‘s franchise tag, noting that if the club works out an extension with Cameron Wake, Vernon could become an unrestricted free agent.
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo underwent successful collarbone surgery and is expected to recover within six-to-eight weeks, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link).

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