The Dallas Cowboys are moving on from Brandon Weeden.
The team announced Tuesday that it has released the veteran quarterback, who was winless in three starts after replacing an injured Tony Romo. Weeden was benched in favor of Matt Cassel prior to Week 7.
In four games, Weeden completed 71 of 98 passes (72.4 percent) for 739 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 92.2. The numbers can be deceiving, however: The Cowboys struggled to move the ball on offense with Weeden, averaging just 18 points per game in losses to the Falcons, Saints and Patriots.
The Cowboys needed to make room on the roster with Romo set to return after missing seven weeks with a fractured collarbone. Cassel has been an average quarterback -- he's 0-4 as a starter -- but the Cowboys obviously see him as a better backup option than Weeden going forward.
The move isn't necessarily a surprise, but it does show how quickly team brass soured on Weeden. Less than two months ago, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told a local radio station that you "won't see a more gifted passer" than Weeden, who signed a two-year deal with Dallas after being released by the Browns in March 2014.
"As (quarterback coach) Wade Wilson said, he's just not the same guy that we had last year," Jones said shortly after Romo went down. "He's progressed that much. He said that before we had this issue with Tony. I think we all feel good about what we got."
Just another example of how quickly things change in the NFL.
UPDATE: Weeden was claimed by the Houston Texans on Wednesday.
