Tony Romo - Pro Football Rumors

Cowboys Place Tony Romo On IR

December 25th, 2015 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 3:14pm: The Cowboys have officially placed Romo on IR, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. To fill the open roster spot, Dallas promoted quarterback Jameill Showers from the practice squad.

MONDAY, 11:14am: Following the Cowboys’ Saturday loss to the Jets, the club was officially eliminated from the postseason, prompting owner Jerry Jones to indicate that he expected quarterback Tony Romo to head to injured reserve. Citing a source, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News confirms that will indeed be the case, with Romo set to land on IR within the next few days.

Romo, who re-injured his collarbone in a Thanksgiving loss to the Panthers, had remained on the Cowboys’ 53-man roster over the last few weeks, as the team held out hope that its starting quarterback could return to action in the playoffs. Dallas hung around a little longer than expected in the weak NFC East, but with three teams ahead of them in the standings, the Cowboys never seemed like a real threat to win the division once Romo went down for a second time.

Romo, 35, will officially finish the 2015 season with 884 yards, five touchdowns, and seven interceptions in four games. Despite Romo’s somewhat pedestrian numbers, the club won three of his four starts, and has gone 1-9 in games started by Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel. Kellen Moore will become the fourth quarterback to get a start for the Cowboys this season, with head coach Jason Garrett announcing this morning that Moore will get the nod in Week 16 against the Bills.

Sunday Roundup: Cowboys, RGIII, Pagano

December 20th, 2015 at 12:52pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at some links from around the league while waiting for the murky playoff picture to begin to sort itself out:

Although Kellen Moore did not exactly set the world ablaze in the Cowboys‘ loss to the Jets last night, he nearly helped his team to an upset victory and demonstrated that he is a better option than Matt Cassel moving forward. However, as ESPN’s Todd Archer writes, head coach Jason Garrett is as yet unwilling to name Moore the starter for the final two games of the season. The Cowboys will need to address the backup quarterback situation behind Tony Romo next year, and it makes sense for the club to at least see what it has in Moore.
Last night’s loss officially eliminated the Cowboys from playoff contention, so owner Jerry Jones expects the team to put Romo on injured reserve, according to Charen Williams of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter).
Washington has made it clear that it is ready to move on from Robert Griffin III, but Ian Rapoport (article via Conor Orr of NFL.com) identifies a number of teams that may be interested in RGIII. That list includes the Cowboys, Eagles, Texans, and Saints (or whichever team happens to employ Sean Payton).
While Chuck Pagano‘s future in Indianapolis is still very much up in the air, if the Colts do decide to part ways with him, Rapoport says that he would immediately become one of the most sought-after head coaching candidates in the league. Although Pagano has previously said the Colts job would be his last coaching gig, there will apparently be no shortage of teams trying to change his mind.
Although things could change in the next several weeks, Mark Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com suggests that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is growing increasingly weary of his team’s performance and could be leaning towards a “clean sweep” that would see both head coach Mike Pettine and GM Ray Farmer lose their jobs. We had previously heard that one of Farmer or Pettine would be fired, but not both.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says the NFL-to-Los Angeles process is getting uglier by the minute, with “members of the league’s Los Angeles committee making promises to St. Louis in an effort to keep the Rams there and publicly trashing San Diego in an effort to get the Chargers out.” Florio suggests one way to placate all parties involved may be to have Chargers owner Dean Spanos and Rams owner Stan Kroenke swap their franchises, much like the Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams were swapped in 1972. The entire article is worth reading, and although Florio concedes it is something of an outlandish idea, he suggests it could gain traction as we get closer to the critical owners meetings in January. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, however, was quick to throw cold water on that notion (via Twitter).
According to Rapoport (via Twitter) Leonard Hankerson, who was claimed by the Patriots this week, was released by the Falcons off the injured reserve list when he told Atlanta that he was healthy and wanted to be cut. The Falcons obliged, and now Hankerson is suited up for New England this afternoon.
Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com looks at the 2016 class of free agent cornerbacks.

Cowboys Will Not Place Tony Romo On IR

December 1st, 2015 at 6:20pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys do not plan on placing Tony Romo on IR, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. The Cowboys want to keep Romo on the roster in the event of a long playoff run. Of course, with a 3-8 record good for last in the NFC East, a playoff appearance doesn’t seem terribly likely.

Romo re-injured his collarbone in Thursday’s loss to the Panthers and that hairline fracture in his clavicle will keep him off the field for some time. Initially, the Cowboys had been holding out hope that Romo hadn’t broken the clavicle for the second time this year. However, a CT scan last week confirmed the club’s fears.

Of course, the Cowboys are likely headed for a top-10 draft pick rather than vying for a postseason spot. After the way this season has played out for Romo, one has to wonder if the Cowboys might look to tap their quarterback of the future in April.

NFC Notes: Cowboys, Seahawks, Panthers

December 1st, 2015 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

In an appearance today on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he thinks Tony Romo has another four or five years left in him, but stressed the importance of having both a veteran backup and a young quarterback to groom behind Romo (Twitter links via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).

Matt Cassel isn’t under contract for the 2016 season at this point, but he looks like a candidate to return as that veteran backup, depending on how he plays down the stretch. It also sounds as if the Cowboys will likely target a QB at some point in the ’16 draft, if the team wants to get that young QB in the mix sooner rather than later.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

Having lost Jimmy Graham for the rest of the season, the Seahawks will likely add a tight end to the roster, per head coach Pete Carroll (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). Seattle doesn’t currently have a tight end on its practice squad, but could target a player who has been with the team somewhat recently, like Rashaun Allen or Anthony McCoy.
The Panthers‘ signing of cornerback Cortland Finnegan on Monday was motivated by growing concern about the lack of progress Charles Tillman has made in recovering from his knee injury, a source tells Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott figure to be head coaching candidates for other NFL teams at season’s end, but both assistants say they aren’t thinking about that possibility for now, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
Eagles head coach Chip Kelly may be irked by the college speculation and rumors that have followed him around, but skepticism for his denials is warranted, says Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said wide receiver Stedman Bailey – who underwent surgery after being shot in the head – continues to improve, as Joe Lyons of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch details. “He’s still in intensive care recovering,” Fisher said.

Tony Romo Out For Season

November 27th, 2015 at 10:47am CST by Luke Adams

Tony Romo‘s comeback off the Cowboys’ injured reserve list was short-lived, as the Pro Bowl quarterback re-injured his collarbone in Thursday’s loss to the Panthers. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas today that Romo will be sidelined for the rest of the 2015 season with a hairline fracture in his clavicle.

The announcement doesn’t come as a surprise. The Cowboys had been holding out hope that Romo hadn’t broken the clavicle for the second time this year, suggesting that Thursday’s tests were inconclusive. However, a CT scan today confirmed the club’s fears.

According to Rapoport (via Twitter), Romo will be looking at a standard recovery timetable for a clavicle fracture, and should be good to go for the team’s offseason programs. He won’t undergo surgery, and Dr. David J. Chao tweets that it would be very unusual if Romo isn’t ready for the start of training camp in 2016 due to the injury.

While Romo should be fine for next season, the Cowboys’ playoff hopes for this season evaporated on Thanksgiving, as the team saw its quarterback go down again en route to a blowout loss against the undefeated Panthers. At 3-8, with Matt Cassel expected to reclaim the starting job going forward, the Cowboys are likely headed for a top-10 draft pick rather than vying for a postseason spot.

NFC Notes: Saints, Romo, Panthers, Kelly, Lane

November 26th, 2015 at 8:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sean Payton addressed the Saints‘ firing of Rob Ryan and handing over the defensive coordinator reins to Dennis Allen, noting New Orleans’ No. 32-ranked defense’s lack of preparation played a key role in the vocal DC’s exit.

“There were a few things that you looked at from a year ago when you said look, we can’t have X number of snaps with not the right number of guys on the field,” Payton told media, including NOLA.com’s Larry Holder. “You can’t burn timeouts every other week because we cannot get the right personnel on the field. We can’t have guys looking left and right at the snap of the ball.”

The Saints’ defensive coordinator since 2013 after stints with the Raiders, Browns and Cowboys, the 52-year-old Ryan has only coordinated one defense to the playoffs — the Saints in his initial season in New Orleans. He’s reportedly a candidate for the Tulane head-coaching job, however.

Ryan’s lack of proper adjustments posed an issue for Payton as well.

“We had to look at, hey, as teams have changed offensively, we’ve got to have some flexibility and find a way to reduce the variation on defense,” Payton said. “We’ve got to find a way to get a call in and play a defense without it being a panic where guys are late getting lined up.”

Let’s look at some more news from the NFC as Thanksgiving night commences.

Prior to Tony Romo‘s return from short-term IR last week in Miami, Jerry Jones disclosed the 13th-year quarterback suffered six fractures from the initial collarbone injury, per Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Romo re-injuring his clavicle Thursday provided another chapter in this season-defining saga for the Cowboys, one that the aforementioned revelation of six fractures may have been worse than the team initially let on, Werder writes.
After acting condescending and arrogantly in the wake of the Eagles‘ three-game losing streak, Chip Kelly‘s Philadelphia tenure should end despite the promise of his breakthrough methods, Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com writes. Frank notes Kelly’s behavior’s turned a city against him and flies in the face of Jeffrey Lurie‘s concern for public perception and a likable coach.
Former Panthers GM Marty Hurney‘s imprint remains large on the 11-0 squad’s roster, with the since-fired GM bringing in the core of the team — Luke Kuechly, Cam Newton, Greg Olsen, etc. — and Ron Rivera. Pro Football Talk’s Darin Gantt writes that while Hurney’s salary cap decisions disrupted future Carolina financial decisions, owner Jerry Richardson refused to allow him to sign players prior to the 2011 lockout as he was helping Roger Goodell negotiate a new CBA.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes Mike Shula should receive the kind of consideration Adam Gase and Josh McDaniels will this offseason for head-coaching positions after overhauling Newton from a one-read college quarterback to a Pro Bowler in the NFL. The former Alabama coach has been with the Panthers since 2011, as the quarterback coach before becoming the OC in 2013.
The man who helped hire Dave Gettleman to succeed Hurney in North Carolina, former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi, will provide a big boost by aiding the Lions‘ GM search, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Accorsi also helped the Falcons and Bears hire their current GMs, Thomas Dimitroff and Ryan Pace, respectively.
Jeremy Lane looks to make his season debut this week, with the Seahawks set to activate the cornerback who’s been sidelined since Super Bowl XLIX, Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk reports. “Jeremy’s going to be active,” Pete Carroll told media. “And if he makes it through the week okay, he’s going to be dressing and playing.” Lane tore his ACL after intercepting Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. After the Seahawks benched recently signed Cary Williams in favor of DeShawn Snead on Sunday, Lane will compete with those performers to for Seattle’s right cornerback job across from Richard Sherman, Crabtree reports.

Tony Romo Likely Done For Season

November 26th, 2015 at 8:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

8:11pm: Although Jason Garrett informed media Romo’s X-rays proved inconclusive and more tests are scheduled, Werder hears from a source that the quarterback will miss the rest of the season (Twitter link).

7:17pm: A source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Romo most likely has a small fracture in his collarbone. Such an injury would almost certainly end Romo’s season, and Florio wonders even if the bone is not broken, whether it would make sense to bring Romo back at all, with the Cowboys at 3-8.

7:10pm: At his postgame press conference with his left arm in a sling, Romo said this injury “feels similar” to the one he sustained in Week 2 that altered his season, Ed Werder of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

Romo will undergo additional tests Friday, but per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter), the chances of him playing again this season aren’t promising.

6:22pm: The Cowboys announced Tony Romo‘s departure from Thursday’s game stemmed from a clavicle injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

Romo immediately trudged to the locker room after Thomas Davis sacked him, driving his left shoulder into the turf. Matt Cassel entered the game and would return to the starting role he occupied previously if Romo misses more time.

In his second game since returning from the September broken collarbone injury that sent the 13-year veteran to short-term IR, Romo admitted he risked re-injury by returning in hopes of reviving the Cowboys’ season, per Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (Twitter link).

Considering the Cowboys lost seven straight games without their franchise quarterback, this is probably the blow that sends them toward preparing for a high 2016 first-round draft pick. But no official word’s surfaced on how long Romo could be out this time.

Should Romo be shelved for the remainder of the season, which would make sense when factoring in the malady and this being the eighth Dallas loss, the 35-year-old quarterback wouldn’t be at risk for long-term struggles with this injury if he returns next season, Dr. David Chao tweeted.

Cowboys Activate Tony Romo

November 21st, 2015 at 11:18am CST by Ben Levine

The Cowboys have activated quarterback Tony Romo from the injured reserve/designated to return list, reports Todd Archer of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The four-time Pro Bowler hasn’t played since Week 2, when he fractured his clavicle in a win over the Eagles. The activation was somewhat predictable, considering this was the first week Romo was eligible to return.

Everything was looking good for the Cowboys following their dramatic opening day victory over the Giants, when Romo passed for 356 yards, three scores and two interceptions. After the game, we learned Dez Bryant was going to miss extended time, and the wideout ended up missing close to two months with a foot injury. Romo went down with his fracture the next week, a hard break for a team that was hoping to contend.

It’s worth noting that the Week 2 victory over Philadelphia was the last time the Cowboys recorded a win. In Romo’s absence, Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassell have combined to go 0-7, compiling 1,547 yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Despite their prolonged losing streak, the Cowboys are still confident they could sneak into the playoffs.

“I don’t think that anyone in this locker room thinks by any means that the season is over, and I think they understand,” Romo told Archer. “I have conveyed that message to them. I think our coach has. You can tell by the way they play. You lose enough games, it can creep in where it feels that way.

“I just think our team has given 100 percent effort and commitment. That is exciting to see.”

NFC Notes: Cowboys, Stafford, Cardinals

November 6th, 2015 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

With the work week winding down, let’s round up some Friday news items and notes from around the NFC….

Appearing on 105.3 FM in Dallas this morning, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that Tony Romo has offered to help identify his own eventual replacement, adding that Romo has put in time studying what he’d look for in a college quarterback. Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has the story, with the quotes from Jones.
Examining Matthew Stafford‘s future in Detroit, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press makes the case that the only way it makes sense for the Lions to part with their quarterback after the 2015 season is if they end up with the first – or perhaps second – overall pick, to give a new coach and GM a chance to groom a new QB. A Thursday report suggested that Stafford’s future beyond 2015 with the Lions is uncertain, with GM Martin Mayhew out of the picture and head coach Jim Caldwell a good bet to follow him out the door.
In addition to the kickers and punters we heard about yesterday, the Cardinals also worked out several other players, including defensive backs Shaun Prater and Cassius Vaughn and long snappers Brandon Hartson and Andrew East, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link).
The Bears also brought in a few players for tryouts today, auditioning offensive linemen Aaron Adams, James Brewer, and Martin Wallace, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Within his latest NFL.com column, Albert Breer of the NFL Network touches on several topics of notes, exploring the Lions‘ organizational changes, Geep Chryst‘s job status with the 49ers, and the Rams‘ decision to draft Todd Gurley with the 10th overall pick in the spring.

Update On IR-DTR Players

November 2nd, 2015 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

We’re now through eight weeks of the NFL season, which means we’re approaching the year’s halfway point. It also means that players who were placed on the injured reserve list with the designation to return prior to the regular season are eligible to be activated and play in their respective teams’ next games.

Players placed on IR with the designation to return are eligible to begin practicing after six weeks, and can return to game action after eight weeks, so there are some IR-DTR players who have begun practicing already, and some of them could be activated for Week 9. Not every player will be healthy enough to return immediately now that they’ve become eligible to do so, but we should see at least a handful of the 10 players who have been on IR-DTR all year be activated to 53-man rosters in the coming days.

Here’s a breakdown of the 10 IR-DTR players eligible to be activated for Week 9:

Jay Ajayi, RB (Dolphins): Ajayi recently said that he’s back to full health, though the Dolphins may have a decision to make in their backfield if they decide to activate the rookie runner.
Alex Carter, CB (Lions): Carter is on track to begin practicing after the Lions’ Week 9 bye, and likely won’t be activated right away.
David Cobb, RB (Titans): Cobb is expected to be activated this week, and at least one Titans beat reporter believes the rookie is capable of earning a high percentage of the team’s carries.
Demar Dotson, T (Buccaneers): When he began practicing, Dotson admitted his injured knee wasn’t where he wanted it to be, but it sounds like he’s made enough progress to be activated this week.
Charles Gaines, CB (Browns): Gaines returned to practice when he was eligible to do so, and sounds like he’s eager to get back on Cleveland’s roster. If the Browns want him active for Week 9, they’ll have to make a move soon, since the team plays on Thursday this week.
Dee Milliner, CB (Jets): Head coach Todd Bowles said last week that he believes Milliner will be ready to play as soon as he becomes eligible, though he cautioned that the team will need to find room on the active roster.
Maurkice Pouncey, C (Steelers): There has been some speculation that Pouncey could be sidelined for the entire season, but head coach Mike Tomlin still expects his veteran center back this year. That likely won’t happen for a few more weeks though, since the initial diagnosis put Pouncey on track to be out until at least Week 12.
Bryan Stork, C (Patriots): The Patriots’ offensive line has been hit hard by injuries this season, so having to decide between Stork and David Andrews at center will be a welcome problem for the team. Stork appears on track to return in Week 9.
John Sullivan, C (Vikings): After suffering a setback and undergoing another surgical procedure, Sullivan won’t be back anytime soon, and may not play at all this season.
Brent Urban, DE (Ravens): Asked two weeks ago about Urban, head coach John Harbaugh said that the defensive end wasn’t practicing, adding that his recovery would probably take “a few more weeks.”

While these 10 players are the only ones on IR-DTR eligible to return in Week 9, there are 12 more who will gain eligibility in the coming weeks. The full list can be found right here.

Among those 12 other IR-DTR players, the most notable name is Tony Romo, who can’t play until Week 11. The Cowboys quarterback is eligible to begin practicing this week, but Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link) hears that won’t happen quite yet. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Romo is still on track to return to the field when he’s eligible for game action, but it makes sense to keep getting Matt Cassel first-team practice reps in the meantime.