Things that have been published about Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's level of play this week now range from the following:

"He's one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, if not the top [QB]." ...

... to:

"He is the perfect guy at putting your team in a horrible situation."

And it's only Wednesday.

Sunday, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Romo's "value speaks for itself," and that he "wouldn't trade him for anybody."

Some league insiders clearly don't value Romo as much as Jones. Mike Sando polled 42 insiders -- ranging from general managers to head coaches, assistants and other executives -- to compile the third edition of ESPN's NFL QB Tier Rankings released Tuesday, which break down the league's signal callers into five tiers.

Tier 1 includes quarterbacks that ESPN's voting panel considers capable of carrying their teams week in and week out, while Tier 5 players are viewed as unfit for starting jobs.

Where does Romo fall? Tier 2, and ranked No. 11 individually. Romo was ranked ninth in last year's edition.

One quarterbacks coach, speaking to ESPN on the condition of anonymity, dished the following on Romo:

"He doesn't play the game, he plays individual plays. He plays every play like they are down six with 1:40 left and there are no timeouts. He is the perfect guy at putting your team in a horrible situation. To me, if a play is not good, it is not in him to give up on it and move on. He always feels like he can make something happen. The way he played against Carolina on Thanksgiving was indicative of that."

But Romo's mobility and pump fakes, and how he uses those talents to move defenders around, did receive praise from one secondary coach, Sando notes.

While age certainly is a factor, Romo -- for what it's worth -- recently said the following while on SiriusXM NFL Radio with host Gil Brandt:

"As far as the offseason, I haven't been a part of all of it in a few years. So it feels like you're young again in the sense to be able to move around and do some things you may have taken for granted when you were young."

The Cowboys' 12-4 season in 2014 and 4-12 finish in 2015 both are prime examples of Romo's value to the franchise. A healthy Romo led Dallas to a playoff berth. A year later, the Cowboys went 1-11 without him.

Dallas fans hope the 2016 season becomes the latest example of Romo's value to the Cowboys -- for all the right reasons.

-- Click or tap here to see the full NFL QB Tier Rankings on ESPN.com.

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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrance Williams (83) plows into middle linebacker Anthony Hitchens (59) after a pass completion during afternoon practice at training camp in Oxnard, California, Wednesday, August 10, 2016. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News) (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

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