Cowboys News: Tony Romo bodied by XFL announcer, Paxton Lynch benched

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo might be at a crossroads in his broadcasting career.

Per a bombshell report from the New York Post, CBS executives attempted an “intervention” with Romo last offseason to address — and hopefully rectify — Romo’s fall from grace in the booth since his exemplary debut year in 2017.

This report came after Romo’s panned call of the AFC Championship Game between the Chiefs and Bills. The performance was a culmination of a wonky season from Romo, and Cowboys fans are hopeful he’ll take CBS’ criticism in stride, and come back better for it in 2023.

In the meantime, Romo is still catching strays. Only this time, it had nothing to do with his unorthodox style of calling games.

During Sunday’s XFL game between the San Antonio Brahmas and St. Louis Battlehawks, Brahmas kicker John Parker Romo drilled a 43-yard field goal. That prompted ESPN play-by-play commentator and “SportsCenter” co-host Matt Barrie to take a shot at Romo’s expense.

More Cowboys News:

• The Cowboys will always be the brunt of offseason jokes, but credit where it’s due in Barrie’s case. Though a cheap shot, Romo’s playoff shortcomings are well-documented, and defined his career in many ways. The former Pro Bowler finished 0-3 in the Divisional Round, and owns a 2-4 career playoff record.
• As Romo licks his wounds, fans might enjoy hearing former Cowboys draft target — well, former Jerry Jones draft target — Paxton Lynched was benched by the Orlando Guardians in his XFL debut this weekend. Lynch went 15-of-21 for 136 yards and an interception before he was benched.
• Cowboys fans will remember Jerry Jones banging the table for the team to trade up and select Lynch in the 2016 draft. The former Memphis QB was out of the league after 2017, while Dallas drafted current quarterback Dak Prescott in the fourth round. Though no longer with the team, second-round pick Jaylon Smith gave the Cowboys a couple seasons of serviceable linebacker play. It’ll be interesting to see if Lynch wins the job back for the Guardians.

NFL News:

• ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Monday the Colts have hired longtime NFL assistant Jim Bob Cooter as their new offensive coordinator. Cooter most recently served as the Jaguars’ pass game coordinator, and crossed paths with Indy’s new head coach Shane Steichen as recently as 2021, when Cooter served as an offensive consultant with the Eagles.
• Evan Engram wants a long-term deal to remain with the Jaguars after a breakout 2022 season. The top tight end on the market (if he isn’t franchise tagged), Engram posted career-highs with 73 catches for 766 yards, and added four touchdowns. His catch rate increased nearly 15 points, and he caught eight passes for 62 yards in the Jaguars overtime win vs the Cowboys in Week 15.

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