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Cowboys don’t know if Kyle Orton will return in 2014

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The Cowboys kicked the tires on quarterback Mike Kafka recently, but he wound up signing with Tampa a little more than a week ago.

At the time, it seemed Kafka was an option to be a practice arm to help Kyle Orton out in the event that Tony Romo is limited or unavailable during offseason workouts as he recovers from back surgery. The Cowboys may need a quarterback to do more than that, however.

Charean Williams and Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram report that Orton has yet to commit to return for the 2014 season and that he has talked about retiring from football. Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones confirmed that the team hasn’t gotten anything firm from Orton yet, although it didn’t seem like a top priority.

“No I don’t know [if he’s coming back],” Jones said. “But I haven’t gone and asked him.”

Romo and Orton are the only quarterbacks on the roster, which led the Cowboys to sign the retired Jon Kitna out of a fifth period geography class to be their backup for the season finale. That’s why it would be a good idea for the Cowboys to explore some new blood at the position if Orton opts to come back.

If he decides against a return, it will become a much more vital need in an offseason with plenty of those for the Cowboys.