Cowboys Will Play Tony Romo Against Eagles, Per Report

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Just a few days after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said “it would not be worth the risk” to play Tony Romo in a meaningless Week 17 game against the Eagles, it appears Romo might play after all. ESPN is reporting the veteran Dallas quarterback will get some snaps in Philadelphia.

“Dak Prescott will start, attempting to set the NFL record for wins in a season by a rookie quarterback,” writes Adam Schefter and Todd Archer.” Romo and Mark Sanchez are expected to play, but it has not been determined how long they will do so.”

NFL media’s Ian Rapoport reports Romo “fought his way” for snaps in Week 17 and could play for a series or two.

Jones hasn’t confirmed or denied the reports.

“I’m not going to tell you if he is going to play or not,” said the Cowboys’ owner in a radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan, via Clarence Hill Jr. “We are going to save that for the game.”

Romo hasn’t played a regular season game since Week 11 of the 2015 season. He suffered an injury in a preseason game against the Seahawks prior to the Cowboys’ 2016 campaign. Prescott took over as the starter and ran away with the job.

Playing Romo is a big risk for the Cowboys. Romo, who turns 37 in April, is an injury-prone player. Dallas doesn’t have a lot to gain by playing him. Rather, the Cowboys are risking losing their backup quarterback for the playoffs. Dallas is also potentially jeopardizing their ability to trade Romo if the offseason if he gets hurt.

Rapoport notes Romo will likely be playing behind a reserve offensive line when he enters the game. He also says the Cowboys “will be incredibly careful with [Romo] health-wise,” which seems like a direct contradiction if he’s playing behind backups.

Romo suffered a shoulder injury in his last start in Philadelphia: Week 2 of the 2015 season. The Cowboys will hope he can remain healthy this time around.

EAGLES INJURY UPDATE

In other news, Doug Pederson gave an update on the Eagles injury situation heading into Week 17.

Starting left guard Allen Barbre (hamstring) is set to be limited in Friday’s practice and will be listed doubtful to play. Stefen Wisniewski, who is set to be a free agent after the season, will start in Barbre’s place. Pederson also said rookie blocker Isaac Seumalo is also expected to see some reps at guard despite being listed questionable.

Jordan Hicks (ankle) will practice after being a limited participant all week. Jordan Matthews (ankle) hasn’t practiced this week but is expected to go on Friday. It could Paul Turner who starts in the slot if Matthews can’t play against Dallas. Matthews has been noticeably limited since suffering his ankle injury against the Packers. He’s averaging 55 yards and zero touchdowns in his last seven games.

Rookie tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai has been a full participant in practice all week. He could return to the active game day roster for the first time since suffering a knee injury against the Seahawks.

ROSTER SPOT UPDATE

The Eagles still have an open roster spot after placing Ryan Mathews on the injured reserve list earlier this week. According to Pederson, it sounds like the team will promote practice squad running back Terrell Watson to the 53-man. Pederson said Watson, who joined the team a few weeks ago, will only play in an emergency situation. The only two healthy running backs currently on Philadelphia’s roster include veteran Darren Sproles and undrafted rookie free agent Byron Marshall.