Despite Prescott’s success, Romo must not rush back
Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, even for the elite players. If you’re not playing well or unable to stay healthy, teams waste zero time trying to replace you. Drew Bledsoe signed a mega-deal in New England the year Tom Brady permanently took his job after he went down with an injury. Despite the long-term commitment to Bledsoe, he never got his full-time job back for the Patriots. This mindset creates a culture of paranoia among NFL players to constantly play through injuries or rush back before they are actually healed.
This may be what is happening with Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. After numerous Pro-Bowl caliber seasons, Romo has earned an injury-prone label for missing time the previous two seasons. Now that Dak Prescott has shown an ability to have success, people are whispering that the team should move on from Romo and leave Dak in if the team is in Playoff contention.
There are certainly benefits to having a 4th-round pick that can step in and play well, particularly at the quarterback position. However, Romo should not rush back from his back injury out of some sort of fear that Jerry Jones will become enamored with Prescott’s success. He’s earned the right to have his job back, regardless of what Dak is able to do over the next couple weeks. Romo’s 2014 season – his last full year as a starter – was one of the most efficient and prolific of his career. He finished the season as a legitimate MVP candidate.
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When Romo went down in the preseason, the consensus was that he would be out 6-8 weeks. Two weeks into the season, there are reports that Romo will be back sooner than expected. I can’t help but speculate this is at least partially coming from the fact that Romo is seeing what we are all seeing – that Dak Prescott is going to be a pretty damn good quarterback if he isn’t already. Last season, many thought he rushed back from his collarbone injury and that was why he almost immediately got re-injured once returning.
The Cowboys should be using this situation to their advantage. Instead of rushing back to keep the rookie QB from proving he is the better option, Romo should be taking extra time to get fully healthy for a possible late-season playoff push. He’s earned the right to get his job back and is still the team’s best bet to win a Super Bowl. The Cowboys cannot let a little success change their mindset on who’s team this is.
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