In preparation for next Sunday night’s special Christmas edition of Football Night In America, Peter King and yours truly threw out a wide net in order to obtain the best information about the status of Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
Romo banged his throwing hand against the helmet of Eagles defensive end Jason Babin during Saturday’s ultimately meaningless loss to Philadelphia. The hand swelled up to almost cartoonish proportions, and concerns swirled regarding his availability for next Sunday night’s win-and-in, lose-and-hit-the-road-Jack regular-season finale against the Giants.
All indications continue to be that Romo suffered no structural damage, that the swelling is expected to go down, and that Romo will be able to play.
That’s very good news for the Cowboys, who previously placed backup Jon Kitna on injured reserve with a back injury. Stephen McGee completed 24 of 38 passes on Saturday, for 182 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions, but he’s not the guy the Cowboys would want to ask to win a playoff play-in game.
If the Cowboys sign a veteran quarterback in the next day or two, that would be a sign that they are concerned about Romo. Then again, if the Cowboys truly were concerned about Romo, they may have already signed a veteran quarterback.