Ranking the Best Potential Landing Spots for Tony Romo in 2017

Let's just go ahead and acknowledge something off the top here: Tony Romo has played his last snap for the Dallas Cowboys. His age, recent injury history, a contract that resembles a falling piano and the emergence of Dak Prescott have all come together in a perfect career-twilight storm.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn't want to admit that yet or say it publicly, which falls in line with standard NFL front-office practices in February.

“I don’t know how ultimately we will resolve this," Jones said during a recent radio appearance, via Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Nobody should be alarmed because you don’t have all the answers. There are some issues here that you just got to see how the cards are played. But we’ll work through this."

Merely hinting at a potential direction for Romo's future could lead to the loss of leverage, something every NFL owner values as much as oxygen, high-end steak dinners and mints on hotel pillows. But again, let's repeat this for the necessary emphasis: he's gone.

However, Romo still believes he can be a starter even at the age of 37 in April. And when you look around at some of the other quarterbacks who could be available, it gets pretty hard to tell him he's wrong. Colin Kaepernick is a mirage, Jimmy Garoppolo has attempted 94 career regular-season passes and Jay Cutler is, well, he's Jay Cutler.

So let's get in the mind of Romo then. It's likely the Cowboys release him, as ESPN's Ed Werder recently reported, because finding a trade partner willing to take on his mammoth $24.7 million cap hit in 2017 is a tough sell. Toss in the fact Romo has played only five games over the last two seasons, and a trade becomes nearly impossible.

If you're Romo, how do your preferred destinations line up?

Obviously signing him comes with a massive, glowing and radioactive injury question mark, and his contract will be structured accordingly. But if he can remain in one piece Romo is certainly still talented enough to, at worst, provide above-average quarterback play. And in today's NFL clearing that bar has a whole lot of value.

Ideally, Romo should be the one final missing piece for a championship run. Or at minimum a playoff run, and the following teams were ranked with that in mind.

1. Houston Texans

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During February and early March when the buzz builds prior to free agency we sometimes overlook a simple but important fact: NFL players are still humans.

They're incredibly talented and highly paid humans who have unique jobs. But that doesn't take away from the fact that players who are set to become available to the highest bidder still have basic human needs and desires. A strong one for the family men of the NFL can be to avoid uprooting their wife and children while moving to another football outpost far, far away.

Moving still may not be a deal-breaker for those family men. But if they have the option to take care of football needs with a quality team fit while also still keeping the family at a home base, then why not pounce on it?

Romo has such a chance with the Houston Texans, a team located just a one-hour flight from his current home city of Dallas. That short distance will be appealing for a family with two young children (aged four and two), and with a third on the way just in time for training camp.

The Texans could satisfy both personal and professional needs for Romo. And for the latter they have the makings of a championship-contending team that needs to have merely respectable play at quarterback.

Offensively, the Texans have wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to serve as Romo's acrobatic velcro-handed top target. Hopkins still approached 1,000 receiving yards (finishing with 954 yards) even in a down 2016 year for him and everyone else in the Texans offense thanks to Brock Osweiler. He's totaled 4,487 regular-season yards over four NFL seasons.

There are plenty of complementary weapons around Hopkins, too. That includes fellow wide receiver Will Fulller, the speed threat who recorded two 100-plus-yard games as a rookie. And running back Lamar Miller, whose first season in Houston ended with 1,073 regular-season rushing yards even while he missed two games due to injury.

Of course, Romo would also be supported by one of the league's most physically imposing defenses.

The Texans led the NFL in average yards allowed per game in 2016 (301.3) during a season when defensive end J.J. Watt appeared in only three games due to an ailing back. Fellow pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney became an increasingly disruptive force as the season went along and his own health improved. Clowney recorded sacks in each of his final three regular-season games and grabbed an interception during the divisional round.

The Texans could lose a few core defenders with cornerback A.J. Bouye about to see his price skyrocket on the open market, and nose tackle Vince Wilfork likely to retire. But they still have more than enough defensive pieces in place to make that side of the ball a focus, especially with Watt returning.

The game wouldn't be resting solely on Romo's fragile arm and shoulders, which is the best situation for him during his remaining NFL years.

2. Denver Broncos

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The first number you should remember when assessing what Romo could accomplish with the Denver Broncos is this one: 17.

That's how many interceptions Peyton Manning threw in 2015, a year when he declined rapidly to become a legend in name only. Manning's rapidly crumbling body finally caught up with him at the age of 39. He threw those 17 regular-season interceptions even while starting only nine games and attempting only 411 passes.

But none of it mattered, as a punishing Broncos defense collectively shrugged and then shouldered a greater load, doing the heavy lifting during a championship run.

The Broncos' championship blueprint of leaning on a suffocating defense eventually met its match in 2016 when said defense was left exhausted, and then exposed. Too often a 27th-ranked offense couldn't sustain drives with quarterback Trevor Siemian at the helm. Then, as the season progressed and that weariness took hold the Broncos' once dominant run defense dropped off, and they allowed 130.3 rushing yards per game. A late-season injury to inside linebacker Brandon Marshall didn't help matters there either.

The bar Romo would have to clear for success with the Broncos is low, then, with the key elements of their championship-caliber defense still firmly in place. It's a unit powered by a fierce pass rush, and the boom outside linebacker Von Miller regularly lowers. He finished second among all 3-4 outside linebackers with 79 pressures in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Broncos would push for another ring if Romo could even do a Manning imitation, just ideally with fewer interceptions. He has that and so much more in him.

If Romo avoids breaking or tearing something he can re-establish Demaryius Thomas as a top-tier receiver. His production fell by 221 yards in 2016 (from 1,304 yards in 2015 on 105 receptions to 1,083 yards on 90 catches in 2016), and the Broncos offense suffered greatly without Thomas' presence as a deep threat. Denver held possession for only an average of 29:03 each game (27th).

Like the Texans, the Broncos don't need an aging Romo to be their weekly hero. But unlike the Texans, the Broncos have had recent success with that defense-first approach.

3. Kansas City Chiefs

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You're surely starting to notice a theme here. The top three Romo destinations have swarming defenses that give their offenses the gift of not needing to score many points. All three also have at least one premier pass-rusher.

For the Chiefs that pass-rusher is outside linebacker Justin Houston. The 28-year-old has struggled with injuries over past two seasons while missing 15 games. But he's still absolutely terrifying when healthy, and needed only five games in 2016 to log four sacks.

Houston's health is clearly a concern, as is the contract status of pending free-agent safety Eric Berry. But the central figures of a defense rooted in generating turnovers (the Chiefs led the league with 33 in 2016) will be ready to prop up Romo if Berry returns and Houston can avoid another long absence. Meanwhile, the veteran pivot can give the Chiefs something they're sorely missing with current quarterback Alex Smith: a downfield passing attack of any kind.

Sure, the Chiefs offense is structured around pounding away with their backfield and offensive line, and then finding a rhythm through short, quick-hitting passes. Which has worked well during the Andy Reid era, with three 11-plus-win seasons during his four years as head coach.

But any approach that leans heavily on turnovers invites the strong possibility of swift fall, because the chances of a regression in that area are high. Which means that Romo may be needed for a larger role in Kansas City, and one the veteran could welcome if it comes along with the championship shot he craves.

The Chiefs would need Romo to take some weight off their defense with the deep passing Smith so sorely lacks. Including the playoffs Smith logged six games in 2016 when he averaged less than six yards per pass attempt. At 46.4 percent he had the lowest percentage of passing yards that came through the air, per PFF.

Upgrading the quarterback position and pushing Smith aside might be the final frontier for a deep Chiefs playoff run, and a postseason win over a team not named the Texans.

4. Buffalo Bills

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The Buffalo Bills are missing something simple but crucial on their quarterback depth chart: clarity.

They have to make a decision on Tyrod Taylor's future by March 3. He's been impressive at times during his two seasons in Buffalo, and underwhelming at others. His per-attempt passing average fell from 8.0 in 2015 to 6.9 in 2016. His passer rating also fell by nearly 10 points.

But in a league starved for quarterback talent Taylor still offers more than enough athletic promise to be a starter. Is he worth a guaranteed $30.75 million, though?

A significant and painful chunk of Taylor's remaining contract becomes locked in if the Bills pick up his option in early March. Which is why there's a strong possibility they move on and try to stay competitive in 2017 with a veteran bridge option. Bleacher Report's Tyler Dunne is connected to the franchise as a former Bills beat reporter, and his recent educated guess was that the Bills would release Taylor and then "roll with a low-cost veteran."

Can that be Romo? Well, it depends on exactly how high his cost climbs.

The Bills aren't exactly overflowing with cap space. But they still have enough to make a run at Romo with just over $26 million currently available, according to Spotrac. So a union here is possible, and as CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora reported, the Bills have "significant interest."

But it's not hard to see why that interest could be one sided, and why the Bills would be further down Romo's list of preferred destinations.

Offensively, the Bills still have a solid group of talent to attract a veteran quarterback. LeSean McCoy routinely barreled ahead in 2016 while generating missed tackles and running behind a strong offensive line. He finished sixth in rushing with 1,267 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per carry.

And, when healthy, wide receiver Sammy Watkins is a neck-wrenching deep threat. He was limited to only eight games in 2016, but is just one year removed from averaging 17.5 yards per catch with nine touchdowns.

But there's still a far greater problem even if everything were to break right offensively for the Bills with McCoy and Watkins staying healthy in 2017. The Bills' flailing defense would force Romo to be a savior, and he's not that guy anymore.

The Bills defense took a dramatic step back in 2016, especially against the run while allowing 133.1 yards per game and 21 rushing touchdowns. And now they're set to potentially lose middle linebacker Zach Brown, cornerback Stephon Gilmore and outside linebacker Lorenzo Alexander as free agents.

The Bills still offer Romo a shot at success to end his career. Just not a very appealing or realistic one.

5. New York Jets

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If you squint and look at the New York Jets in just the right light they're the best of the rest among possible Romo contenders if he hits the open market.

This is difficult to do because they were such a flaming mess in 2016, but for a moment try to forget the most recent season of Jets football. The Jets fan in your life has surely been doing this for months already.

When you do that something encouraging is revealed: The Jets were a 10-win team and barely (agonizingly) missed the playoffs after a Week 17 loss in 2015. They did that while getting the best possible version of Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback during a season when he still threw 15 interceptions and averaged a pedestrian 6.9 yards per attempt.

Fitzpatrick was propped up that season by twin tower receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, who both finished with 1,000-plus receiving yards. And, of course, a stifling fourth-ranked defense made life much easier, too.

Then in 2016 Fitzpatrick inevitably turned back into a weak-armed passer who makes poor decisions. Decker missing most of the season was another blow, and cornerback Darrelle Revis getting really old, really fast turned into the final sucker punch.

But there's still plenty of talent spread throughout the Jets defense, and particularly up front among one of the league's best defensive lines. That unit is anchored by defensive end Leonard Williams with his 48 pressures in 2016, and by fellow defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, who has recorded 50-plus tackles in five of his six NFL seasons.

If that defense resurrects itself quickly and Decker returns healthy, is competence at quarterback through Romo the missing link to a playoff berth? Probably not, but Romo would have a better chance here than with other perennially rebuilding teams like the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears.