With wideout Dez Bryantback on the practice field, the Dallas Cowboys have begun piecing together a plan to add quarterback Tony Romo to the mix.
Bryant spoke to reporters on Friday and said his confidence level is high. He says he's unsure about his playing status, adding "we want to see how it feels through this week of practice ... Just trying to be smart about it." He also adds that if the decision was solely his, he would be playing."
Officially allowed to return to practice next week, Romo has been throwing and "looks good," according to coach Jason Garrett on Friday.
David Helman of the team's official website noted that the Cowboys are still discussing how to mesh Romo back into weekly sessions while also giving enough work to fill-in passer Matt Cassel.
"Want to get him out there without compromising the preparation of our team," Garrett said Friday of Romo, per Ted Madden of WFAA-TV.
Per NFL rules, a player on IR Recall can return to practice after a six-week absence and play after eight weeks. The two-week window for Romo begins Monday, but offensive coordinator Scott Linehan wants to assess Romo's level of conditioning before working him in -- even after Jerry Jones said Friday that Romo "physically is really doing well," per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
"We've got to kind of see where it is, how he feels the first week," Linehan said, per Helman. "... Mentally he's going to be fine, but the conditioning part we'll see where he is and then kind of integrate him into practice into some way, shape or form."
Said Linehan: "There'll be some adjustment. You've just got to figure out how it works in the flow of practice so you don't disrupt that for the quarterback that's going to be playing that particular game."
Sitting at 2-4, the Cowboys desperately need Romo to save their sinking season. With Brandon Weeden and Cassel running the show, the Dallas offense has drifted through autumn as a ghost ship.
Luckily for the 'Boys, the NFC East is such a heaping mess that adding Romo to the effort -- even by Week 11 -- still gives Dallas enough time to win this limp division.
