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Dallas Cowboys: Would Bryce Petty be a good project QB?

By Stephen Forsha

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We all know the Dallas Cowboys are set at the starting quarterback position with Tony Romo under center for the 13-win and reigning NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys.

Jan 4, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) talks with quarterback Brandon Weeden (3) before the game against the Detroit Lions in the NFC Wild Card Playoff Game at AT&T Stadium. Dallas beat Detroit 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Currently Brandon Weeden is the backup to Romo, and well, his play when he was forced to be in the lineup last season (due to a Romo injury) ended with a Cowboys loss to the Arizona Cardinals in his lone start of the season.

Now the question is this … Should the Cowboys use one of their draft choices in the mid rounds (third or fourth most likely) of the 2015 NFL Draft to select a quarterback, to not only to challenge Weeden for that backup position in 2015, but to have a a QB to groom as the next starter?

Remember, Romo will be turning 35 years old this offseason and in NFL years that is closer to the end of their career, rather than the prime, especially for a QB with the back issues Romo has had in the past.

In 2014, Romo passed for 3,705 yards with 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His QB Rating was 113.2 in 15 regular season starts. He averaged 247 yards per game passing.

With the aforementioned question asked about grooming a quarterback let’s say the answer was “yes, the Cowboys should draft a QB,” now the next question should be: Who should the Cowboys select in the 2015 NFL Draft?

One name that could be in the vision of the Cowboys is Baylor’s Bryce Petty. CBS Sports has Petty as the fifth best QB in the 2015 NFL Draft, and have him projected as a third or fourth round selection.

The 6-3, 230 pound senior QB from Midlothian, TX has the size and arm strength to be an NFL QB, but others feel he does have some weaknesses that he’ll need to overcome in the NFL to be a success.

Dan Burgler of CBSSports.com reported about some of those weaknesses in Petty’s 2015 NFL Draft profile for CBSSports.com.

"“Brugler wrote: Petty tests a lot of vertical throws with a lot of bucket tosses, but he doesn’t throw for a high percentage downfield and often throws up passes that can be best categorized as 50-50 balls.”"

Here is the kicker, and don’t stop reading after this part … Brugler compared Petty to … Weeden.

Sigh.

What I like about Petty, even though he’s been compared to Weeden is Petty is much younger than Weeden was when he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. Petty might not be set in his ways as much as Weeden was when the Browns made him the 22nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Last season in five games (one start) Weeden was 24-of-41 for 303 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions. His QB Rating was 85.7 and his completion percentage was 58.5.

I’m not, and probably many other Cowboys fans are not, comfortable at all with Weeden as the backup QB. If another injury were to occur to Romo are the Cowboys (and the fans) confident enough in Weeden to compete at a high level at the position, especially since there is a question mark at the RB position right now?

Would the Cowboys be better served as a team to draft Petty in the third or fourth round?

Let’s look at what Petty could bring to the Cowboys.

First off at the NFL Combine, Petty had a 40-yard dash time of 4.87, and a 20-yard run of 2.81. Petty’s numbers during his final season at Baylor University saw him go 270-for-428 with 3,855 yards and 29 touchdowns according to ESPN.com.

He also had seven interceptions and finished with a QB Rating of 157.8. Petty was sacked 24 times, but his longest TD throw went for 89 yards, as he averaged 9.01 yards per completion. Not to forget, Petty’s pro day was considered a success.

According to Brian T. Smith of the Ultimate Texans blog of the Houston Chronicle, he was impressed by Petty on his pro day this past week, writing:

"“Bryce Petty spun perfect spirals that softly sailed into receivers’ hands in the end zone. He faked left, spun right, and drilled wideouts along the sidelines. He unleashed an NFL-ready arm after beginning every snap under center.”"

With those positives listed (the article also listed the negatives) there has been a lot said of Petty and the system ran at Baylor, and he did run a spread offense at the collegiate level, so of course there will be questions.

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Though the Cowboys could use players they can play during Week 1 with a third or fourth round selection this year, the Cowboys might be (or should they be) tempted to take a QB in one of those rounds? Since Petty is graded on having an “NFL-ready arm,” could he be worth selecting in one of those rounds if he’s still on the board?

Basically the Cowboys aren’t in a win-win situation when it comes to either selecting a QB to groom, or looking elsewhere to fill a need in the mid-rounds. The decision is tough to say the least.

I can see the arguments both ways, but if the Cowboys wait past the fourth round it will become tougher to find a QB they could groom, though I say that about an organization who groomed an undrafted free agent QB into their starter in Romo.

What do you want as a fan of the Dallas Cowboys? Do you want the franchise to select a QB in this draft, especially in the mid rounds, or would you rather the Cowboys just wait and work on other needs the team has?

I’m still torn in this decision because I don’t believe in Weeden if he would be called upon for an extended period time if something would happen to Romo.

With that said, drafting Petty in the 2015 NFL Draft isn’t a guarantee of the next big thing. Petty would give the Cowboys an option for their future in a player has the ability to become a solid NFL QB if given the time to work on his game.

It is a tough decision indeed, but one that must eventually addressed by the Cowboys sooner rather than later.

Next: Could Todd Gurley be a 1st round fit?

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