NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Dallas Cowboys: Is Brandon Weeden the right backup QB?

By Stephen Forsha

facebooktwitterreddit

There is absolutely no doubt that Tony Romo will be the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys until he feels like he’s finished in the NFL or an injury takes him out of the lineup for good.

That isn’t the question that will be asked. No, the question that needs to be asked is this: Is current backup quarterback Brandon Weeden the right guy for the job of being Romo’s backup for America’s Team?

Think about this … last season the Cowboys were lucky Romo only missed one start due to injury, considering he was coming off back surgery last offseason, but what if it happens again?

What if this time Weeden has to become the starting quarterback for more than one game for the 2015 season? With the injury past of Romo, it could possibly happen. Is that something all of us or even the front office of the Cowboys should be comfortable with?

From the looks of this ESPN Dallas article by Todd Archer, the answer to the latter part of that question is a surprising yes.

The article on the 6-3, 228 pound Weeden and the Cowboys from Feb. 19 states:

"“The Cowboys will never say never when looking to add a veteran quarterback, but Jason Garrett was pleased with Weeden’s development in 2014.”"

This leaves me a little questionable of the thinking of the Cowboys’ head coach. Looking at the one start by Weeden last season, against the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 2 he was 18-of-33 for 183 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Maybe I’m thinking about this too much during the offseason, but Nov. 2 was well into the season, and yes, the Cardinals were a playoff team, but if Weeden had to play extended time in the lineup in ’15, those numbers won’t get the Cowboys past the likes of the New York Giants or the Philadelphia Eagles in a division race for the NFC East title.

More from Dallas Cowboys

All of this type of “looking ahead” thinking hopefully is all for naught and Romo plays each and every game healthy, but there needs to be a “Plan B” when it comes to the Cowboys QB situation and I just don’t believe Weeden is that guy.

In four games played last season (24-for-41 passing), Weeden had a 85.7 QB rating  with 303 yards passing with three touchdowns, two interceptions and one fumble.

I’m not an NFL coach and didn’t watch Weeden practice, but where is this improvement Garrett is speaking about?

I can’t lie, when the Cowboys first signed Weeden as the backup QB I thought “this is a solid signing,” but after one season, plenty of doubts have risen to the top, so to speak.

Nov 2, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Brandon Weeden (3) is tackled by Arizona Cardinals defensive end Ed Stinson (72) and defensive end Calais Campbell (93) in the game at AT&T Stadium. Arizona beat Dallas 28-17. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

If the Cowboys feel comfortable with Weeden as the No. 2 QB, so be it, but maybe this should be the season the Cowboys look in the mid-to-late rounds for a QB to challenge Weeden this offseason, because if Weeden is called upon for an extended period of time, along with the real possibility of no DeMarco Murray to hand the ball off to … that combination could make for a very long NFL season.

But again, there is that old saying … be careful for what you wish for … and with Weeden, I believe he’s one of the top question marks the Cowboys have this offseason.

Let’s hope for all of our sakes, as stated earlier, this discussion is all for naught. That is my wish.

Next: Could Bud Dupree be a fit for the Cowboys?

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Dallas Cowboys