In a stunning turn of events, the Dallas Cowboys will give Tony Romo some playing time in Week 17 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Reports earlier in the week suggested the Cowboys would only give run to rookie Dak Prescott and backup Mark Sanchez, which made sense because Romo hadn’t played a snap all year.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter said the Cowboys reversed course:
Cowboys' QB Tony Romo is expected to play Sunday vs Eagles for the first time since Thanksgiving 2015, sources tell @toddarcher and me.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 30, 2016
Dak Prescott still will start Sunday, but Tony Romo and Mark Sanchez are expected to see action; for how long remains to be determined.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 30, 2016
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Romo fought for some playing time and won:
Sounds like #Cowboys backup QB Tony Romo successfully fought his way under center Sunday for a series or 2, as ESPN reported. Won’t be much
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 30, 2016
The Cowboys probably didn’t want to create any controversy by having Romo play, especially after some fans called for him to take Prescott’s job earlier this year after the rookie had an iffy game.
Alas, the Cowboys are probably smart to listen to their veteran quarterback here—few could argue well that Sanchez is a better option than Romo in the playoffs should anything happen to Prescott.
So long as Romo doesn’t suffer an injury during a meaningless game over a few drives, this should turn out to be a non-story. If Romo goes down again, the team will only have Sanchez to potentially lead them to a Super Bowl if Prescott isn’t healthy.
It won’t be for long, but fans should want to see what Romo has to offer this weekend.
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