Cowboys believe Weeden ready for starting job despite trade

IRVING, Texas Brandon Weeden already had the pressure of replacing an injured Tony Romo as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback and trying to keep the team afloat for the next seven games a feat he has never accomplished in his career, considering his 5-16 record as a starter.

The former 2012 first-round bust in Cleveland now has the extra burden of knowing that if he doesn’t perform up to par that a veteran placement is waiting in the wings in newly acquired Matt Cassel.

Never mind that Weeden was told by Cowboys coach Jason Garrett shortly after the trade for Cassel on Tuesday night that the team was 1,000 percent behind him as the starter.

That number was reduced to 100 percent when Garrett talked to the media Wednesday morning.

The bottom line is the Cowboys’ unwavering support of the unproven Weeden will be determined by his play. The stakes are too high to leave anything to chance with their leader and Pro Bowl quarterback sidelined for the next eight weeks with a fractured collarbone.

“Yeah, we don’t live in those worlds of expectation of performance,” Garrett said. “It’s expectation of what we’re doing right now and how we approach it. Brandon is going to be our starting quarterback this week. We’re just going to focus on it day by day.”

Cassel, who was acquired in a trade with Buffalo, didn’t arrive until late Wednesday. He will practice for the first time Thursday, but he will serve no more than as a backup in Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Weeden will start with Kellen Moore, who was signed off the practice squad, serving as the backup if Cassel isn’t up to speed with the offense.

Nothing beyond Sunday is guaranteed.

The Cowboys don’t care if the situation causes Weeden to look over his shoulder.

“You’re just very direct with him,” Garrett said. “We value the position and we just feel like this was the right move for our team right now. Having said that, 100 percent support behind Brandon as our starting quarterback.”

Weeden appreciated the phone call of support from Garrett, but understands the gravity of the situation.

“It’s the nature of this business,” Weeden said. “The quarterback position is so important. You’ve got to have guys in place if something were to happen. I’m not putting any extra pressure on myself. I’ve got to go out and play well. If I do that, everything will take care of itself.”

Weeden is in his second year with the team and the second year in the same system under offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. The Cowboys believe Weeden is more ready to take over for an injured Romo than he was last season when he was intercepted twice in his only start in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

“I think his command is significantly better. I think he learned from his experiences playing last year,” Garrett said. “He had a really good offseason for us, a really good training camp. I think a lot of that has to do with his comfort level with the system and with the guys around him.”

In relief of the injured Romo in Sunday’s 20-10 victory against Philadelphia, Weeden completed all seven passes for 73 yards, including a game-sealing 42-yard touchdown strike to receiver Terrance Williams.

It’s well documented that some of Weeden’s problems in Cleveland were rooted in being in two different systems under two different offensive coordinators during his two-year stint there. Weeden said this is the first time since he started playing football in the seventh grade that he has had the same offensive coordinator for two consecutive years, including his time at Oklahoma State and his two years as a starter at Sante Fe High School in Edmond, Okla.

“Just being here for the second year in the same system first and foremost gives me confidence,” Weeden said. “I’m in a system I love, a system I’m comfortable in. Being in a second year with the same guys gives me more confidence than I had my second year in Cleveland.”

Weeden is helped by his time with the first team on Wednesdays dating to last year when Romo started taking a day off to strengthen his surgically repaired back.

He is taking a different approach to the situation than he did last year because it’s his job for seven games over the next eight weeks, rather than a one-game stint.

Weeden is a free agent at the end of the season.

“It’s a big year,” Weeden said. “I’m not going to sugarcoat that. I’ve got to go play well. I want to continue to play in this league. In order to do that, you’ve got to do that. I’m auditioning for 32 teams essentially for next year. But hopefully I come back here. I think it’s a great fit for me.

“I’ve been around long enough to know that crazy things happen. Just keep your head down and go play well and things will take care of themselves.”

If he doesn’t, the Cowboys have an alternative in the well-traveled Cassel. The 10-year veteran has 72 career starts and a record of 34-38 in stints with New England (2005-08), Kansas City (2009-12) and Minnesota (2013-14) before the brief time in Buffalo in 2015. He lost the starting job to Tyrod Taylor in training camp.

The Cowboys thought highly enough of him and the need for a veteran option that they gave up a fifth-round pick in 2017 as well as a $2 million base salary with $2.15 million in incentives.

“I think he 1/8Cassel3/8 understands the situation he’s coming into, and he’s going to embrace the opportunity,” Garrett said.

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