Just what the Houston Texans have been waiting for this offseason is going to happen.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is going to be released.
One small problem, he already has a new job lined up and it’s not running the Texans offense as their new starting quarterback.
Reports surfaced early Tuesday morning, that the Cowboys intend to release their longtime quarterback, but Romo has decided to retire from the game and take a job in the television broadcast booth.
Tony Romo is leaving football and going into broadcasting, even with Dallas planning to release him today, sources tell @toddarcher and me.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2017
A subsequent report from the Sports Business Journal has Romo set to join Jim Nantz in the CBS booth on their number one NFL broadcast team.
So where does leave the Texans?
Quite literally it leaves them with a tremendous amount of cap space and no proven starting quarterback.
Tom Savage and his two career starts in three seasons is now the unquestioned number one for Bill O’Brien. Brandon Weeden is also under contract for the upcoming season. That’s it.
The team was able to unload Brock Osweiler after one terribly disappointing season, which also created additional cap space. All the Texans have done this offseason is re-sign three of their own free agent, tight end Ryan Griffin, punter Shane Lechler and kicker Nick Novak.
They have also watched starters in the A.J. Bouye and Quintin Demps sign elsewhere. Also linebacker John Simon, offensive lineman Oday Aboushi and special teams’ standout Don Jones signed elsewhere.
Texans head coach Bill O’Brien has been asked countless times this offseason about the quarterback position and each time has expressed a high-level of confidence and excitement about his two returning signal-callers.
I guess it's time to start dressing up. #CBS pic.twitter.com/GseSRiyNOo
— Tony Romo (@tonyromo) April 4, 2017
"I said it the other day and I’ll say it again, we’re excited about those guys,” O’Brien said about Savage and Weeden when he spoke at the AFC coach’s breakfast at the owners meetings in late March.
"It’s not easy to play quarterback in this league. Both of those guys have played for us. Savage helped us win a couple of games last year. Brandon Weeden two years ago, two games. They both have live arms, they both know our system.
O’Brien added that he expects additions at the position.
"Whether it’s the draft or someone were to be available in free agency that we thought was a great fit for our team, those types of things, then yeah, we would do that,” O’Brien said.
"We know that we need at least three or four once the 90-man roster is set, and I’m sure we’ll have three or four quarterbacks in that quarterback room once that 90-man roster is set.”
The NFL draft takes place on April 27-29 and the team begins offseason workouts on April 17 and will a series of OTAs and a mandatory mini-camp through early June.
The remaining quarterbacks available in free agency is topped by Jay Cutler and Colin Kaepernick, neither of whom has generated much interest.
Cutler produced a 27-34 record in his final five seasons in Chicago while creating 80 turnovers in those 61 games. San Francisco chose Blaine Gabbert to start over Colin Kaepernick last season. Each have played good football in their past and have some good attributes, but neither inspires much confidence in their current abilities to lead a team to excellence.
Clemson’s DeShaun Watson, North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky, Texas Tech’s Pat Mahomes, Notre Dame’s Deshone Kizer and Pittsburgh’s Nathan Peterman are considered among the top prospects in the NFL draft, the Texans first selection is number 25 in the first round.