Should Tony Romo Return to the Cowboys?

We’re three weeks into the current NFL season, and for the majority of Dallas Cowboys fans, it’s fairly easy to summarize the opening portion of their favorite team’s 2018-19 campaign—difficult to watch.

Sure, things could be worse—they could be 0-3. However, at 1-2, with a pair of brutal performances against the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks, the Cowboys are in no great shakes.

Particularly, on the offensive side of the football.

Their lone victory was an uninspiring 20-13 win against their longtime divisional foe, the New York Giants. Even in that contest, Dallas’ offense was inconsistent at best. While their defense ranks close to tops in the league (third in total points allowed), their offense ranks amongst the worst in the NFL, sporting a scoring average of 13.7 points per game—good for 30th in the league. Quarterback Dak Prescott has largely struggled to complete passes over 15 yards, and the overall lack of explosiveness through the air has had a tremendous trickle-down effect on the rest of the offense. While Scott Lineman’s play calling certainly comes into question, it’s hard to overlook the mounting struggles of Prescott over the past year and a half.

At this point for owner Jerry Jones and the Cowboys, it’s also hard to overlook a difficult decision made two seasons ago—benching then-franchise quarterback Tony Romo in favor of Prescott. Romo, now 38, retired after his unceremonious benching to pursue a promising career in broadcasting. However, it’s no secret that the Cowboys have been putrid on offense since Dak Prescott’s second season at the helm. Second-guessing the third-year man's legitimacy as an NFL starting quarterback is, at this point, warranted.

So, this ultimately begs the question—should Tony Romo return to the Cowboys? A couple of months ago, this notion might have seemed absurd. But due to the Cowboys’ offensive struggles, in addition to some interesting comments from Romo himself, this suggestion could actually have some merit.

Romo's Remarks

During a recent interview with The Ben and Skin Show on 105.3FM, Romo was asked questions about his physical health. One of the biggest knocks on the former Dallas gunslinger was his knack for getting injured—a factor that led to his infamous benching. However, Romo indicated that he feels better now than he did during his playing days.

In fact, the ex-Dallas quarterback even went as far as to say that his previous injury history would have little impact on a potential NFL comeback.

"I probably played much more hurt back in '13 or '14 then I would be now, but you find your routine in life that you figure out that kinda keeps you going, " he said on the show. "Yeah, I'm healthy enough. That wouldn't be an issue at all, I don't think. That would be the least of my thoughts when it family man that, obviously.”

This statement, unsurprisingly, led to some eyebrow-raising from the co-hosts of the show. As a result, questions of a possible NFL return were raised, but Romo did a pretty masterful job of dodging them altogether.

"You guys are silly," Romo swiftly replied.

So, Should Tony Romo Return To The Cowboys?

Despite his own lukewarm interest, is a Romo return actually plausible? As much as the Cowboys have struggled on offense to start the season, it still seems like a pretty big long-shot.

For starters, Romo already has a pretty sweet gig at CBS. He’s a family man first and foremost, and preserving his own health for his children has always been a big deal for the former signal-caller.

Additionally, it’s highly unlikely the Cowboys have totally given up on the future of Dak Prescott. He’s still only 25 years old, so his ceiling remains fairly high.

That being said, completely dismissing the notion of a Romo return is still somewhat foolish. During his playing career, Romo was one of the fiercest competitors in the NFL. Retiring without a Super Bowl victory has, undoubtedly, left a gaping hole in Romo’s career legacy. Let’s also not forget that owner Jerry Jones has always been one of Romo's biggest advocates, and their relationship should not be understated.

In short, while it’s unlikely Romo ever suits up with the Cowboys again, we should never say never.

It’s the NFL, crazier things have happened.