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Position Battles: Orton's Decision Dominates QB Talk

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If you study the history of Jerry Jones as a general manager, he has been on and off in whether he has carried two or three quarterbacks on his 53 man roster.

From 2006 through 2008 he just carried two. From 2009 through 2011, he carried three. For the last two seasons that number is back at two. As I write this breakdown of the quarterbacks, Kyle Orton still remains on the roster. Depending on whom you happen to speak with on the club, the collective thought is for him to still be in camp when the team opens practices on July 23 -- but as we have all learned, that really is no given.

If Orton does in fact report, the question becomes if Brandon Weeden, who has been taking snaps with the first offense during Organized Team Activities and minicamp, outplays him, could we see the front office decide to move on from Orton – or, with the questionable health issues with Tony Romo, keep Orton in the mix?

This is a situation that they could surely think about because the financial commitment to Weeden is not that taxing on the cap, plus it protects them in case something does happen with Romo. Another thought might be if Weeden does play well in the preseason is to keep Orton as the No. 2 but try and see if there might be a taker during the final cuts on Weeden. [embedded_ad]

Again, Weeden's money situation makes him a much easier piece to deal than working with Orton, who still has years and money on a contract that could result in dead money on the cap. The final way that this might play out is that Kyle Orton does decide that he has had enough and calls it a career, then we will surely see Brandon Weeden hold onto that backup job with Dustin Vaughan on the practice squad or another young quarterback to try and develop.

Regardless how this plays out for this front office and coaching staff, there still are options and they are not painted into a corner. Kyle Orton in my view is the best option as the backup quarterback for this club, but as Brandon Weeden continues to get snaps and gain confidence, then that greatly helps the state of the position. The bottom line in all these moves is to think about the big picture but to also protect the makeup of the roster and not get caught short at a position with a lack of talent in case it is needed.  

weeden_063014_650.jpg


If you study the history of Jerry Jones as a general manager, he has been on and off in whether he has carried two or three quarterbacks on his 53 man roster.

From 2006 through 2008 he just carried two. From 2009 through 2011, he carried three. For the last two seasons that number is back at two. As I write this breakdown of the quarterbacks, Kyle Orton still remains on the roster. Depending on whom you happen to speak with on the club, the collective thought is for him to still be in camp when the team opens practices on July 23 -- but as we have all learned, that really is no given.

If Orton does in fact report, the question becomes if Brandon Weeden, who has been taking snaps with the first offense during Organized Team Activities and minicamp, outplays him, could we see the front office decide to move on from Orton – or, with the questionable health issues with Tony Romo, keep Orton in the mix?

This is a situation that they could surely think about because the financial commitment to Weeden is not that taxing on the cap, plus it protects them in case something does happen with Romo. Another thought might be if Weeden does play well in the preseason is to keep Orton as the No. 2 but try and see if there might be a taker during the final cuts on Weeden. [embedded_ad]

Again, Weeden's money situation makes him a much easier piece to deal than working with Orton, who still has years and money on a contract that could result in dead money on the cap. The final way that this might play out is that Kyle Orton does decide that he has had enough and calls it a career, then we will surely see Brandon Weeden hold onto that backup job with Dustin Vaughan on the practice squad or another young quarterback to try and develop.

Regardless how this plays out for this front office and coaching staff, there still are options and they are not painted into a corner. Kyle Orton in my view is the best option as the backup quarterback for this club, but as Brandon Weeden continues to get snaps and gain confidence, then that greatly helps the state of the position. The bottom line in all these moves is to think about the big picture but to also protect the makeup of the roster and not get caught short at a position with a lack of talent in case it is needed.  

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