Kyle Orton situation is a reminder of just how long NFL off-season is

The Kyle Orton saga continues in Dallas.

OK, how’d you do with that first sentence? Only seven words long -- did you make it through without busting out laughing or at least rolling your eyes and heaving an enormous sigh?

Look, we’re at the point in the off-season now where the draft has come and gone and training camp is still months away.

So it’s come to this. We’re discussing the fact that the Cowboys backup quarterback has missed all of the team’s voluntary workouts.

That’s right, the backup quarterback and voluntary workouts. Sound the alarms.

There has been speculation that the 31-year-old Orton is considering retirement. But that seems unlikely since he would then owe Jerry Jones $3 million of the $5-million signing bonus he received when he joined the Cowboys before the 2012 season.

Why would he want to do that? After all, he hasn’t been asked to do much more than hold a clipboard for Tony Romo the last two seasons.

Then again, maybe that’s the problem. Perhaps the backup role just doesn’t suit Orton, especially after everything he went through in Denver with the Tim Tebow saga. Who knows?

So why does this matter to Cowboys fans? Well, Romo had back surgery in December, his second such procedure in a year’s time. And the next quarterback on the depth chart behind Orton is the recently signed Brandon Weeden, a former bust with the Cleveland Browns.

But owner Jerry Jones has assured everyone that Romo is ahead of schedule in his recovery and is expected to be ready for training camp.

So there you have it. Consider yourselves completely updated on the Cowboys backup quarterback situation.

Is it August yet?