Dallas Cowboys Rumors: Tony Romo Injury Could Make A Johnny Manziel Signing More Likely
The Dallas Cowboys likely just lost Tony Romo again to injury, and rumors are building that the team may try to snag Johnny Manziel on the cheap and start building for their future now.
Manziel was reportedly high on Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones’s list back before the 2014 NFL Draft, but though the Cowboys had a chance, they opted not to draft him. Instead, Manziel went to the Cleveland Browns, where he now appears to have worn out his welcome.
After a shaky season, Manziel has nearly tumbled off the depth chart entirely after failing to commit to playing as much as he does to partying.
This week, Manziel was dropped out of the starting spot after lying to the team’s coaching staff about a video that showed him partying in Austin, Texas. A video circulating on social media showed Manziel partying during the bye week, and ESPN reported that Manziel dug himself an even deeper hole by lying and also asking others at the party to lie in an attempt to cover for him.
A source told ESPN that Manziel may have been able to keep his starting job if he had been honest with the coaching staff, but they didn’t take to kindly by his attempt to get one over on them. Manziel has reportedly been on a very short leash since his partying last season distracted from his development as a rookie quarterback, leading to his long rehab stint in the offseason.
Though there are not yet solid indications from the Cleveland Browns, many believe that this is the end of the road for Manziel, who has still not done enough to cement himself as the team’s starter.
Source: Browns QB Johnny Manziel demoted after lying about when party video was recorded — https://t.co/vGaFrm6Ze0 pic.twitter.com/6HmfddZry7
— ESPN (@espn) November 26, 2015
There are many who think Johnny Manziel could make a good fit in Dallas. ESPN‘s Todd Archer noted that Jerry Jones could see an opportunity to bring in Manziel (though Archer ultimately concludes that Manziel would be a “distraction,” not the answer for the Cowboys).
The Cowboys showed this year that they have a backup quarterback need after going 0-7 with Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel when Romo was out with a broken collarbone. It looks like the perfect opportunity for Jones to have a buy-low moment with Manziel, especially if the Browns release him. He would have a young quarterback in the system to replace Romo one day and he wouldn’t have to pay a heavy price to get him.
The Dallas Cowboys have even more uncertainly at quarterback after Tony Romo suffered a season-ending injury on Thursday. Romo was in just his second game back from a broken collarbone when he re-injured the same spot after being taken to the ground hard by Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis.
The Panthers kept rolling as another Tony Romo injury put an end to Dallas’s playoff hopes https://t.co/Bruq4G7OsS pic.twitter.com/Z4SF6WbbL6
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) November 27, 2015
Though he will go for additional testing on Friday, a source close to the team told ESPN that his season is over. Romo said he could sense the injury was a bad one.
“Going to the ground you could hear something happen,” Romo said. “You’re just disappointed and feel like I don’t know what is going to happen. We’ll see.”
Tony Romo is now 35, and will have to try to return next season after two consecutive serious injuries. Whether it’s through the draft or a trade or free agency, the Dallas Cowboys are going to need to address the long-term quarterback situation sooner rather than later, so expect the Johnny Manziel rumors to continue growing until the Cowboys do something otherwise.
[AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar]
