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Dallas Cowboys Better Hope Tony Romo Stays Healthy

By Erik Lambert

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August 23, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) and head coach Jason Garrett (right) smile before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi

Love him or hate him, Jerry Jones deserves some credit for remaining loyal to quarterback Tony Romo through years despite constant noise from outside for the Dallas Cowboys to get rid of the former undrafted free agent.  The owner has since been rewarded with multiple Pro Bowls and two playoff wins since 2009.

That being said, Jones is not free of blame from something else going on at the quarterback position.  Namely how poor the depth is.  Through two preseason games, the Cowboys backups have combined for 38-of-72 passing, 359 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.  Not exactly inspiring numbers.

What makes this even scarier is the known history regarding Romo.  Though he made it through most of 2014 healthy, he has dealt with a lot of injuries the past few years.  He had back surgery the year before and broke his clavicle back in 2010.  That body has absorbed a lot of hits and at age 34 isn’t exactly conditioned to keep taking them.

This helps explain why the team has invested so heavily in the offensive line the past few years.  They are clearly trying to prolong Romo as much as they can because they know it’s exceedingly difficult to replace guys like him.

After all, their last successful drafted quarterback was Troy Aikman.  For those not doing the math, that was 26 years ago.

Still, the Cowboys can’t afford to throw all their eggs in one basket, not with as big an opportunity as they have this season.  They might trust their depth, but the numbers say differently.  If anything else, they should try to find some respectable veteran help.

Next: Jordy Nelson Loss Will Test That Green Bay Packers Depth

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