Cowboys Shuffle Roster Around Romo Hope
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IRVING (105.3 THE FAN) - There is little chance of the Dallas Cowboys lifting themselves up to make the playoffs.
But at the same time, there is little downside to holding out hope that they can … which is why sources told me on Tuesday the Cowboys aren't placing Romo on IR for now while they are still mathematically alive in the NFC playoff hunt.
When will Cowboys place Romo and his broken collarbone on injured reserve? When Dallas is officially eliminated from playoff contention. How soon could that writing on the wall become clearer? Certainly this weekend, depending on what the Giants do against the Jets, what the Eagles do against the Patriots, and what the Cowboys themselves do at Washington on Monday night.
At 3-8, the Cowboys seem out of it. But the Redskins lead the NFC East at 5-6. It's conceivable that Dallas could emerge from the weekend just one game out of first place. … and as the Cowboys face the Redskins twice in the final five weeks of the season … well, there remains a glimmer of hope here.
If the Cowboys do somehow sneak into the playoffs, there's no guarantee their All-Pro QB will return. Wild-Card Weekend is scheduled for Jan. 9-10, meaning Romo has about six weeks to heal from his Thanksgiving Day injury. And of course, there's this: If replacement Matt Cassel leads an unlikely late-season charge into the postseason, do you really bench him for a semi-healed Romo covered in rust?
But that's an issue for another day — if at all. For now, the Cowboys shuffling means they bring Kellen Moore up from the practice-squad as the No. 2 guy, means they lose running back prospect Trey Williams (cut and claimed by the Patriots) and means rookie offensive lineman Chaz Green comes active at the expense of rookie defensive end Ryan Russell (who goes to IR).
Additionally, Dallas signed running back Ben Malena, cornerback Terrance Mitchell and DE Efe Obada to the practice squad. All three of them have come through Valley Ranch before and can be helpful later.
Those are small prices to pay for the small chance that Romo comes back. So while the "up'' is unlikely, the "down'' is nonexistent.
So you stay after it … until you are officially "down'' for good.
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