Jerry Jones Ready To Embrace Life After Romo

Jason Garrett, Charlotte Jones, Jerry Jones, and Stephen Jones discuss the 2016 NFL Draft picks. 

Jerry Jones has always stated that Tony Romo will be his quarterback for the next few years, but the recent draft shows his acceptance to prepare to move on.

by Rodney Fisher

The Dallas Cowboys started the draft with two main goals:

1. Take Ezekiel Elliott with the 4th pick.
2. Trade back into the first round and take quarterback Paxton Lynch.

After a proposed trade with the Seattle Seahawks was trumped by the Denver Broncos to draft Lynch with the 26th overall pick, the Cowboys set their sites on Michigan State QB Connor Cook or Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott. The selected Prescott in the fourth round.

When contemplating how to select the potential Romo-replacement, they sought the advice of legend Roger Staubach. His advice was to focus on the intangibles like leadership and self-confidence. Prescott was a team captain for the Bulldogs since he showed up on campus.

Jerry, the ultimate oil wildcatter, has made his bet. Even if Prescott turns out not to be the heir apparent, Jones has committed to begin the search. Romo's multiple injuries took their toll on the entire fan base last year, including the Jones family. The countless camera shots of a depressed luxury box started the process to think about the future.

The belief that Romo will return to action 100% should be taken with a grain of salt. Jones draft choice of Elliott with the 4th pick over Florida State safety Jalen Ramsay signifies that Romo needs help in the backfield. With DeMarco Murray leading the NFL rushing, Romo was able to audible out of the blitz more to protect his fragile frame. The hodge-podge mixture of running backs last year let him over exposed and his injury was inevitable.

Jones openness about pushing hard to get Paxton Lynch and drafting Prescott is the fresh thinking that fans have been craving. The Romo era is almost over.