Tony Romo Returns To Cowboys Practice
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo practiced today for the first time since his injury. The Cowboys officially announced the news while listing him as “limited” on the injury report. 
At the time of Romo’s injury, the plan was for rookie Dak Prescott to hold down the fort until the veteran could make his mid-season return. Of course, Prescott has taken off in his six games under center, leading Dallas to a 5-1 record. While Prescott’s play has been a pleasant surprise for Dallas, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones did hedge his bets a tad in August when asked about the possibility of a Drew Bledsoe/Tom Brady situation.
“I can’t imagine a scenario where Tony’s not our quarterback when he’s ready,” Jones said. “But things happen. You know that. You know what happened to Bledsoe and Brady. I’m sure Tony’s aware of that. But the reality is, Tony’s going to come back for us and play great, we believe.”
Romo only played in four games in 2015, tossing five touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has been eager to show what he can do in 2016, but it’s not clear when or if he’ll get that opportunity. When Romo does return, he’s likely to be holding the clipboard for Prescott.
Cowboys Work Out Two D-Tackles
- The Cowboys took a look at defensive tackles Montori Hughes and Casey Walker, reports Caplan (Twitter link). The team doesn’t plan to sign either of them, however, according to Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram (via Twitter).
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/24/16
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Arturo Uzdavinis (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: CB Leon McFadden (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN)
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Dez Stewart (Twitter link via Wilson)
New England Patriots
- Cut: S Vinnie Sunseri (Twitter link via Doug Kyed of NESN)
New York Jets
- Signed: DL Brandin Bryant
Latest On Tony Romo
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is no lock to return even in Week 8 following Dallas’ bye, and could quickly be ruled out for Week 9 as well, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. The club has “no expectation” that Romo will be ready to even serve as a backup when the Cowboys face the Browns in Week 9, sources tell La Canfora.
[RELATED: Cowboys, Doug Free Restructure Contract]
MRIs have continued to indicate that Romo is progressing well in his recovery from a preseason back injury, but the veteran QB hasn’t yet been cleared to practice. Romo, 36, could be forced to undergo more MRIs before he’s allowed to get back on the practice field, reports La Canfora. Once Romo is able to return, the Cowboys and head coach Jason Garrett would then be faced with a choice between Romo and rookie signal-caller Dak Prescott.
Prescott, of course, is playing exceptionally well thus far in his rookie campaign, and will force the Cowboys to make a tough call if and when Romo is healthy. Through six games, Prescott has led Dallas to a 5-1 record while completing 68.7% of his passes for seven touchdowns and one interception. The fourth-round rookie has added another three scores on the ground.
Cowboys, OT Doug Free Restructure Contract
The Cowboys have converted $2MM of tackle Doug Free‘s base salary into a bonus, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The move creates $1MM in cap space for this season. 
Free, 32, was slated to hit the open market prior to the 2015 season but Dallas instead kept him with a three-year deal. That deal, which should keep him in place through the 2017 season, holds a total value of $15MM. All in all, Free has made a good chunk of money throughout his career. His previous deal was a four-year, $32MM deal with $17MM guaranteed.
From 2009-2013, Free did not miss a single regular season game. In 2014, he missed five games thanks to a foot injury. Last year, he got back to his old ways and started in every regular season contest. So far this year, his ironman streak is in tact. Through six games this year, Free is rated as the 50th best tackle in the NFL out of 78 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus. Free has a 70.7 score for run blocking but his 50.0 rating for pass blocking leaves much to be desired. In total, he has a 66.0 overall grade for his 411 snaps (212 pass blocking, 199 run blocking).
Free is due to carry a $6.5MM cap number in 2017, the final year of his current deal. If the Cowboys were to cut him before June 1st, they could be on the hook for $1.5MM in dead money while saving $5MM.
Cowboys Not Interested In Trading Tony Romo
- The Cowboys aren’t sure if they’ll bench rookie quarterback Dak Prescott once Tony Romo returns from injury, but Dallas has no interest in trading Romo at this time. Romo is unlikely to be healthy before the trading deadline, meaning no other club would feel safe dealing for the veteran, and the financial ramifications of such a move are untenable from the Cowboys’ perspective. Trading Romo right now would force nearly $32MM to immediately accelerate onto Dallas’ salary cap.
Dak Prescott To Start Week 8
As expected, the Cowboys are starting quarterback Dak Prescott after the team’s bye week against the Eagles, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Meanwhile, Tony Romo may not be ready to be considered for the following week against the Browns either, Rapoport hears.
Cowboys’ Dez Bryant To Return After Bye Week
The Cowboys won’t have to wait much longer to get their top wide receiver back on the field. Yesterday, after the Cowboys beat the Packers at Lambeau Field, Dez Bryant told Jane Slater of the NFL Network (on Twitter) that he’ll be back after the team’s Week 7 bye. 
“[You] don’t have to ask me anymore,” he told the reporter. “I’m good…playing against Philly.”
Bryant suffered a slight hairline fracture of the tibial plateau in his right knee in Dallas’ Week 3 game against the Bears. There was hope that he would be able to play through the pain without missing time, but doctors also feared that he could turn the injury into something worse on the field. As a result, he has now missed three consecutive games. He’ll get off the sidelines on Oct. 30, however, as the Cowboys face the rival eagles at home.
Bryant, 28 next month, has just 11 passes for 150 yards and one touchdown in his three games this year. He has been in uniform for just 12 of the Cowboys’ past 21 games.
Jerry Jones Still Deciding Between Romo, Dak
Jerry Jones did not say whether the Cowboys will turn back to Tony Romo or stick with the surging Dak Prescott after the team’s Week 7 bye, but the owner identified this as a good problem to have.
Reports have oscillated between the Cowboys having confidence the 36-year-old Romo will resume his post and how Prescott’s rise has inspired his teammates enough to possibly anoint the rookie as the full-time starter. Prescott connected on 18 of his 27 throws in Dallas’ win over Green Bay today, throwing for three touchdown passes. He’s completing 69 percent of his passes this season for the Cowboys, who are 5-1 for the second time in three seasons after failing to win five of their first six in the previous six slates.
Archer: No Sure Thing That Romo Will Play When Healthy
- Todd Archer of ESPN.com says Tony Romo‘s most likely return date is November 6 against Cleveland, not October 30 against Philadelphia. And, despite the Cowboys‘ insistence that Romo will regain the starting role when he is healthy, Archer says the team could be “singing a different tune” if Dak Prescott is still winning. Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Prescott has more support in the Cowboys’ locker room to keep the status quo than Romo has to change it.