If multiple teams consider trading for Romo, here's what Cowboys might get for him

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Matt Mosley, contributor to SportsDayDFW.com and columnist for Texas Monthly, answered your questions in a live chat Friday. Here are some highlights.

Claiborne, Carr and Church: Who are you keeping, and why?

Matt Mosley: I'm finding a way to keep Church because he's become a solid leader and player. I make a stab at Claiborne even though he's constantly injured. With Carr, you only re-sign him on the cheap. He's contemplating retirement. This isn't a guy like Newman who wants to play forever. I think he has a lot of things on his mind. Probably time to move on.

Is the importance of home-field advantage blown out of proportion in the NFL playoffs? Or does it only matter to teams that play in the elements?

Matt Mosley: It seems to benefit the Patriots, and yes, they play in the elements. I guess it doesn't help you overcome the hottest QB in the league, as we saw in Arlington. Being the No. 1 seed should really give you an advantage with the week off and homefield advantage. It's probably a bigger advantage for a team like Seattle that has that crazy atmosphere. We've seen teams like the Packers and Giants seem to benefit from not having a week off in the past. That doesn't mean you stop going after the No. 1 seed though.

Cowboys' season: Success, or disappointment?

Matt Mosley: I'd say both. Based on where you thought this team might be without Romo, going 13-3 was an enormous success. But then you knew there was a great chance to reach the Super Bowl. Not getting to the NFC title game feels like a pretty big failure at this point. So I'll take the easy way out and say both.

Tony Romo is a better QB than Prescott. Who wants to see a Cowboys vs Texans or Cowboys vs Chiefs or Cowboys vs Cardinals or Cowboys vs Broncos w Romo at QB? My money would be on Romo.

Matt Mosley: Well, the part you're missing is that Tony Romo has major durability concerns. Even the teams you mentioned that might have an interest in him are trying to get their hands around those shoulder concerns. Peyton Manning was obviously a risk for the Broncos, but that one worked out pretty well. I think once Tony is traded or released, you can't obsess about him anymore. You lucked into a great QB in the fourth round who's just getting started. That's more exciting than wondering about Romo possibly leading the Texans to the playoffs. Or a matchup with the Texans in 2018. I don't think there will be a huge market for Romo. That's probably what Elway's hoping. Now if the Texans and Broncos both want him, things could get interesting. Maybe the Cowboys get a second or third-round pick in that scenario. Probably not more than a third though.

 

[dbair1967]

And multiple teams almost assuredly will.

He might not want to go to some of them (and I'm sure Jerruh would comply) but there will be interest I believe.

 

[cmd34]

Texans and Broncos would be good teams for him. Both have legit defenses and some offensive weapons.

Both teams would be smart to boost up their O Lines some though.

I'd prefer he go to the AFC and we don't play the Texans next year so that would be better.

I've heard some Kansas City talk the last few days. The Jets may be the team that outbids them all. They need a QB desperately and some good PR. He'd create buzz for the Jets.

 

[NoMoRedJ]

As bad as the QB play is for so many teams Romo is an immediate upgrade, back and all.

 

[theoneandonly]

Fisher keeps pushing Texans destination. Likely trying to find somebody wearing their sucker hat to buy "premium" content.

 

[Doomsday]

Why would anyone trade for him when they all know he will be a June cut, and will be on the open market? Why give Dallas jack shit when you don't have to?

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

Why would anyone trade for him when they all know he will be a June cut, and will be on the open market? Why give Dallas jack shit when you don't have to?

To avoid a bidding war.

 

[Doomsday]

To avoid a bidding war.

Seems like it would be a lot more expensive to do a trade than to just wait until he's cut. Nobody knows if he will even pass a physical yet.

Bidding war might happen, trade or not?

 

[dbair1967]

Why would anyone trade for him when they all know he will be a June cut, and will be on the open market? Why give Dallas jack shit when you don't have to?

Maybe because the Cowboys don't HAVE to cut him. It hurts us to keep him another year, but it isn't crippling. It can be done, and he would be the best backup QB in football by far.

The other thing is the market. if he hits the open market he will generate quite a bit of interest, and his price tag/guaranteed money could actually go UP.

 

[cmd34]

Maybe because the Cowboys don't HAVE to cut him. It hurts us to keep him another year, but it isn't crippling. It can be done, and he would be the best backup QB in football by far.

The other thing is the market. if he hits the open market he will generate quite a bit of interest, and his price tag/guaranteed money could actually go UP.

Keeping him as a backup keeps the "distraction" and might seem unfair to Tony, but would also be smart football. We'd have the bext back-up in football. Look at it this way, we do gain about $5M in cap room by cutting or trading him but we would not find a better back-up QB for that $5M gain. Also, holding him might actually increase his trade value. Look at the Sam Bradford situation. Or imagine the Derek Carr injury happening to a good team before the trade deadline.

I still think the team should let Tony and his agent work out a trade to a team of Tony's choice before the draft, but I do see the strategy in holding onto him. Last, we gain $5M getting him off the books this off-season. If he somehow lasted one more year here and was traded, released, or retired next off-season, the team would gain more than $16M in cap room.

 

[dbair1967]

I still think the team should let Tony and his agent work out a trade to a team of Tony's choice before the draft, but I do see the strategy in holding onto him. Last, we gain $5M getting him off the books this off-season. If he somehow lasted one more year here and was traded, released, or retired next off-season, the team would gain more than $16M in cap room.

Oh don't get me wrong, I agree 100% on that. I think we might get a decent return too, and it could be another piece on defense.

 

[UVAwahoos]

I think the Texans win that game last week with Romo starting. They will make a push for him.

 

[cmd34]

I think the Texans win that game last week with Romo starting. They will make a push for him.

Would you trade Romo and our #1 to Houston for Clowney and a conditional 2018 pick?

 

[UVAwahoos]

Would you trade Romo and our #1 to Houston for Clowney and a conditional 2018 pick?

I love Clowney but I think he'd run over Garrett and do whatever he wants here. The first pick is so late in the round that it's not devastating, but if Philly was able to rob Minnesota for Bradford then I would hope we can at least hold onto our first couple draft picks in any trade.

 

[TheZoneSucks]

The team must do everything it can to assure Romo does not go to a contender while the Cowboys are, at least on paper, a contender themselves. I can just see the Cowboys losing out to Romo in a huge playoff game, maybe even the SB. We'd be the chumps yet again. I'd like to avoid that especially since I don't give a fuck about Romo and what he is supposedly "owed" or "deserves". Fuck that shit.

 

[English Cowboy]

If he ends up in Denver, you can guarantee that the opening Sunday night game will be Cowboys vs Broncos (hyped up as Dak vs Tony).

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

If he ends up in Denver, you can guarantee that the opening Sunday night game will be Cowboys vs Broncos (hyped up as Dak vs Tony).

It would, but I think Denver is about to go back to average very quickly with all the upheaval on their coaching staff and a mediocre QB.

Plus I think they might really believe in and want to develop Lynch.

 

[Doomsday]

The team must do everything it can to assure Romo does not go to a contender while the Cowboys are, at least on paper, a contender themselves. I can just see the Cowboys losing out to Romo in a huge playoff game, maybe even the SB. We'd be the chumps yet again.

Love the comedy this board provides. You actually, really think immobile Romo survives to make the playoffs, with his back and clavicle?

 

[cmd34]

Here he goes again.

Does Mrs. Doomsday tell you "that's not how Tony does it" every time you climb on top of her?

Let it go.

 

[Doomsday]

Here he goes again.

Does Mrs. Doomsday tell you "that's not how Tony does it" every time you climb on top of her?

Let it go.

Facts are stubborn things, they tend to stick around. Does anyone really believe Tony's going to survive his first good hit?

You keep pretending I have some vendetta towards Romo when actually the opposite is true. But, I am sure your fantasy helps you hide from or ignore the fact that his shattered clavicle is one hit away from re-shattering, his back is one hit away from crippling him.

You just love him, love the idea of him, and really really wish you were his soft bottom boi.