Tony Romo Is Cleared, But the Cowboys Would Be Crazy to Start Him Over Dak Prescott
Tony Romo has been cleared to resume playing football, according to ESPN’s Ed Werder:
Sources: When Tony Romo dresses in uniform and available to play for #Cowboys has moved from medical decision to coaching decision.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) November 9, 2016
Source says that Tony Romo feels he has recovered from preseason compression fracture in back, ready to play, capable of taking #NFL hits.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) November 9, 2016
As I wrote in early October when the Cowboys were 3-1, Romo will not be getting his job back anytime soon. Since then, Dallas hasn’t lost. They’re 7-1, with a two-game lead over the Giants in the NFC East and a 1.5-game lead over the Seahawks for the top seed in the conference.
Quarterback wins are not in and of themselves an instructive stat, but the way that Dak Prescott has presided over this team means that the Cowboys would be insane to switch that up. Romo is a great talent, but it is a very real question how long he can stay healthy at this point in his career. (Jerry Jones has remained relatively vague about the team’s plans.)
Prescott has twice exhibited poise in leading the Cowboys back from being down two scores — Week 4 at San Francisco and Week 8 against Philadelphia — he has a 12-2 TD/INT ratio, and if need be he is more capable than Romo at this point to make plays with his feet.
Undoubtedly, Prescott has benefitted from a stout offensive line, and the emergence of Ezekiel Elliott. Nevertheless, it is impossible to see the Cowboys moving on from his hot hand unless that changes dramatically.