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Dallas Cowboys: Worry about supporting cast, not Tony Romo

By Kevin Parvizi

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Dallas Cowboys star quarterback Tony Romo went down with a severe injury for the second time in 2015, and this season-ender has some worried that he won’t be the same as a 36-year-old in the 2016 season.

Tony Romo’s Thanksgiving Day performance went from bad to worse, as he went from throwing three interceptions on 11-0f-21 passing with just 5.0 yards per attempt to being bounced out of the game with a hairline fracture in his collarbone. This injury ended both Romo’s and the Dallas Cowboys season, but the potential impact of his injury goes beyond the 2015 season, as some are concerned that he won’t be the same player next year.

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We’ve all seen just how much age has hurt Peyton Manning this year, and while Romo is younger and infinitely more mobile (with a much stronger arm, to boot), he’s also taken his fair share of big hits throughout his career. And while the Cowboys offensive line is much better now with the likes of Doug Free, Travis Frederick, and Tyron Smith up front, that hasn’t stopped Romo from being bounced out with big injuries.

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Although Romo threw a combined five interceptions in his two games back from an injury, I’d argue that his play following his injury is an indication that we shouldn’t be overly concerned with a drop-off in play from the Cowboys star QB in 2016. There’s no guarantee here, but he should be back and as good as ever once he returns.

Against the Miami Dolphins, Romo threw a pair of picks, but he’s the reason why the Cowboys won that 24-14 game in the first place. He delivered 8.1 yards per pass attempt in a tidy performance, showing off his quarterbacking skills and little physical rust when he evaded pressure and made a highlight-reel pass with his left hand to avoid a safety.

These improvisational plays make Romo special, as they add an extra layer to his game on top of the pinpoint accuracy, above-average pocket presence, and excellent zip on his passes. Romo has been one of the best in the business over the past couple of seasons, and his 68.6% completion percentage this season is direct evidence that his elite accuracy hasn’t waned. The increased rate of interceptions? Those are more about mental mistakes, such as mental rust when re-adjusting to the game speed of the NFL after being out for a period of time during the middle of the season, and the faults of his pass-catchers.

The quick reaction after a season-ending injury to a star player involves wondering if this serious injury will cause said veteran player to experience a decline in physical ability. While that’s a fair point to make, I’m more worried about Romo’s supporting cast going forward.

Dez Bryant is a shoe-in for a bounce-back season after Romo’s injury and his own injury have effectively rendered this season a lost year, but what about the other pass-catchers in Dallas? Aside from Jason Witten, none of them have consistently shown up this season, and you can’t pin all of that on the fact that Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel are incompetent starting quarterbacks. Sure, neither of them are good, but, for example, Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron had no problems letting their physical tools shine on the field with Weeden under center.

There’s nothing wrong with having Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Lance Dunbar, and Darren McFadden as your No. 3-6 options in your passing attack, but the problem here is game-to-game consistency. Beasley, Witten, and Dunbar do an excellent job of moving the chains, but the Cowboys rely entirely on Bryant and Williams to generate big plays. If Bryant is taken out of the game, as he was against the Carolina Panthers, or hurt, as he was for most of the season, then that responsibility falls entirely on a player who has a catch rate of just 54.1% this season.

Of course, the WRs aren’t even the main issue here. Can the Cowboys running game achieve more week-to-week success? For example, let’s take a look at McFadden’s stats.

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As you can see, McFadden’s had his fair share of huge rushing games thanks to his big-play ability and the success of the line in front of him, but the Cowboys have suffered from far too many games in which the “bad” McFadden shows up. With no other viable candidates at the running back position currently on the roster, this could be a potential problem for the Cowboys in the 2016 season.

All of these issues with the offense, which was 29th in scoring and 28th in yardage due to poor quarterback play, are relatively minor, since other teams around the league have more fundamental issues. Take, for example, the Philadelphia Eagles, who don’t even have a quarterback, or the New York Giants, who are essentially running a two-man offense with Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. carrying this unit.

For the Cowboys, the larger underlying issue is the defense. They have an elite pass rush, and that will be true even when Greg Hardy and the team go in their separate ways. Orlando Scandrick will return, Byron Jones will get even better, and all will be well for the Cowboys, correct?

I remain unconvinced. For one, the Cowboys don’t really have anyone else worth praising in the secondary. Secondly, the Cowboys have been a slightly below-average team agains the pass, run, and in overall scoring defense. Thirdly, and perhaps most troublingly, they have been dead last in the NFL with just seven turnovers forced.

Nov 26, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) calls a play against the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter of a NFL game on Thanksgiving at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Since the Cowboys have huge aspirations when Romo is healthy, either the offense or defense has to play at a high level if the other is going to be merely average. Most of us have more faith in the offense accomplishing this, but since nobody stepped up when Romo and Bryant went down, it’s hard to maintain that belief.

When the Cowboys dominated last season, they were fifth in the NFL in scoring and 15th in scoring defense.

That’s the sort of production on both sides of the ball that they need to have in 2016, and it’s why I’m more worried about the non-Romo players on the Cowboys; I’m worried that they won’t hold up their end of the bargain more than I’m worried about a physical breakdown from Romo.

If he does suffer some sort of a drop-off in performance, then it’s up to those around him to help pick up the slack anyway, since, lord knows, the team has already put so much pressure on both him and Dez.

Romo ended up making just four starts this season, but, according to Pro-Football Reference, two of those starts involved him leading a game-winning drive.

That’s the sort of reliance this Cowboys team has on him to come through in the clutch, and that, combined with his steadily gaudy completion percentages, prevents me from being worried about him.

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So if the Cowboys are to threaten as contenders in 2016, it’s all about hoping that players like Williams, McFadden, J.J. Wilcox, and cooling-down rookie Randy Gregory can take their games to the next level.

Before then, a season must be completed. And before we mull these points over, we have impending free agents like Hardy, Dunbar, Rolando McClain, Morris Claiborne, Jeremy Mincey, and Ronald Leary to monitor.

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