Cowboys hitting market to shop for backup QB
By MAC ENGEL
tengel@star-telegram.com
If in the process of cleaning out your attic, closet or basement you find a backup quarterback in need of a new gig, you may want to give the Dallas Cowboys a call. They’re in the market for one.
Multiple sources have said the Cowboys are looking for someone else to play immediately behind Tony Romo this season.
The current plan is to use veteran Brad Johnson for the second consecutive season to play behind Romo, with former Grapevine star Richard Bartel again returning to the practice squad for another year of grooming. But whereas last year, when the Cowboys liked their slotting of these three, there is more of an urgent feeling to upgrade behind Romo ... you know, just in case.
The name that continues to float around Valley Ranch is former Texas star Chris Simms. Simms, 26, is under contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and has told friends he would definitely be interested in signing with the Cowboys.
Johnson will be 40 in September, and in the one game he saw extensive time in last season — the regular-season finale in Washington — the team witnessed that his arm is no longer what it was when he was 30. They love his mind and professionalism, but should Romo go down for as much as one game the Cowboys want a passer who can keep defensive backs honest.
This is not, however, the Cowboys partaking in an "Anybody But Brad" campaign.
"Brad is a smart veteran who knows exactly what to do and how to prepare for any kind of situation," Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson said during the team’s minicamp back in June. "There isn’t a situation he hasn’t been in before."
Playing in the league for this long allows Johnson to know the team wants to bring in somebody, if for at least a look-see.
Unfortunately for the Cowboys, there is not exactly a flood of veteran free-agent quarterbacks on the market. If a passer is any good, he’s under contract with another team.
In three NFL seasons, Simms has played in 19 games, passed for 3,087 yards with 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
But Simms has not played in nearly two years since he ruptured his spleen in a loss against the Panthers on Sept. 25, 2006. The spleen was removed that afternoon. No one has any idea whether he will be "right" in game conditions. There is a good chance, however, he could be released by the Bucs sometime before the start of the regular season.
That is the likely scenario facing the Cowboys for any passer — wait until a veteran backup is released either during or after training camp and sign him then.
Until that day comes, however, and you have a veteran quarterback buried between the seat cushions of your couch, the Cowboys are interested.
tengel@star-telegram.com
If in the process of cleaning out your attic, closet or basement you find a backup quarterback in need of a new gig, you may want to give the Dallas Cowboys a call. They’re in the market for one.
Multiple sources have said the Cowboys are looking for someone else to play immediately behind Tony Romo this season.
The current plan is to use veteran Brad Johnson for the second consecutive season to play behind Romo, with former Grapevine star Richard Bartel again returning to the practice squad for another year of grooming. But whereas last year, when the Cowboys liked their slotting of these three, there is more of an urgent feeling to upgrade behind Romo ... you know, just in case.
The name that continues to float around Valley Ranch is former Texas star Chris Simms. Simms, 26, is under contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and has told friends he would definitely be interested in signing with the Cowboys.
Johnson will be 40 in September, and in the one game he saw extensive time in last season — the regular-season finale in Washington — the team witnessed that his arm is no longer what it was when he was 30. They love his mind and professionalism, but should Romo go down for as much as one game the Cowboys want a passer who can keep defensive backs honest.
This is not, however, the Cowboys partaking in an "Anybody But Brad" campaign.
"Brad is a smart veteran who knows exactly what to do and how to prepare for any kind of situation," Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson said during the team’s minicamp back in June. "There isn’t a situation he hasn’t been in before."
Playing in the league for this long allows Johnson to know the team wants to bring in somebody, if for at least a look-see.
Unfortunately for the Cowboys, there is not exactly a flood of veteran free-agent quarterbacks on the market. If a passer is any good, he’s under contract with another team.
In three NFL seasons, Simms has played in 19 games, passed for 3,087 yards with 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
But Simms has not played in nearly two years since he ruptured his spleen in a loss against the Panthers on Sept. 25, 2006. The spleen was removed that afternoon. No one has any idea whether he will be "right" in game conditions. There is a good chance, however, he could be released by the Bucs sometime before the start of the regular season.
That is the likely scenario facing the Cowboys for any passer — wait until a veteran backup is released either during or after training camp and sign him then.
Until that day comes, however, and you have a veteran quarterback buried between the seat cushions of your couch, the Cowboys are interested.
posted by The Gryphon at 5:44 PM
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