One of the great meaningless NFL mysteries of the week has been resolved. We think.
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo doesn’t think he’ll be playing on Sunday night in Canton.
Via Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News, that’s what Romo said Friday when asked about the preseason opener. Coach Jason Garrett still declines to confirm that Romo won’t play, although Garrett’s initial comments on the topic from more than a week ago provided a pretty strong clue that Romo won’t make the usual one-series cameo appearance at Fawcett Stadium in Canton.
One one hand, it’s no big deal for Romo to miss anywhere from three to 10 snaps. On the other hand, if he can’t suit up for anywhere from three to 10 snaps, it’s hard not to wonder whether he’s having issues in the wake of offseason surgery to remove a benign cyst from his back.
Either way, exercising caution makes sense. For the Cowboys, the extra preseason game is more about getting the defense comfortable with a shift to the 4-3 alignment. And it’s definitely not about exposing a key player unnecessarily to injury.