If the Dallas Cowboys decide to select a future replacement for quarterback Tony Romo in the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft, they'll have nine opportunities at landing what looks to be a handful of potential franchise signal-callers. But if Jerry and Stephen Jones and head coach Jason Garrett are serious about upgrading their talent at the position and solidifying a backup spot that has become increasingly troublesome in recent seasons as Romo's already 35-year-old body continues to break down, then the earlier the selection, the better. That being said, at this point so early in the process, No. 4 seems too high for most of the top options like Cal's Jared Goff and Memphis' Paxton Lynch, and it sounds a little like another player said to be intriguing front offices across the league, North Dakota's Carson Wentz, isn't a guy the Cowboys are all that high on.
Shrine Game notes I never got to: talked w/ #Cowboys source about QB Carson Wentz being their pick. Rolled his eyes. Lot of evaluation left.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) January 25, 2016
Now, Robinson's Cowboy source could just be indicating that there's too much information not yet available when it comes to the NDSU passer, a player the Cowboys staff will get to know intimately at the Senior Bowl. And certainly, for players like Wentz and Lynch, who starred at smaller collegiate programs against lesser competition, the pre-draft process is more crucial than say, for a guy like Goff who faced Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and Texas this season.
But they could also be indicating that it's unlikely a guy like Wentz, who possesses legitimate size (6-foot-6, 230-pounds) and immense athleticism, as Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice notes, but struggles with accuracy and faced the aforementioned lesser competition, isn't likely to be a player they target - at least not early.
Of course, there's also the question of how such a pick would aid the Cowboys in 2016. As NFL analyst Gil Brandt noted recently, drafting a project quarterback like Wentz would - assuming everything goes to plan and Romo returns to health and stays under center throughout the year - provide minimal impact on the 2016 season.
"The question you ask yourself is, 'If we don't take a position player and we take a quarterback who probably won't play for a couple years, do we have enough people on our roster to be competitive to have a chance to get into the playoffs in 2016," Brandt said recently, per the Dallas Morning News.
In the end, Wentz is a talented prospect and one that would likely garner consideration from the Cowboys should he remain available into the second round, or perhaps later depending on how the Senior Bowl and the rest of the pre-draft process pans out.
But if it's No. 4-or-bust for the Cowboys when it comes to Wentz - or any of the other top quarterbacks available - then the search for Romo's replacement may be pushed back one more year. And Cowboys fans will spend another season holding their breath and hoping Romo's increasingly frail body can withstand the pounding it has succumbed to again and again in the last couple of years.
