One series. Four passes. More mystery than ever. That’s the Tony Romo package.

As much as the NFL world at large is rushing to answer where the soon-to-be former Dallas Cowboy will land, there is a significant blind spot when it comes to who should want Romo now. Not just because he turns 37 in April. And not just because he’ll go into the 2017 slate having played parts of basically four meaningful games in more than about 31 months. But also because nobody outside of the Cowboys organization has seen what Romo looks like day-in and day-out since he broke his back in the 2016 preseason.

View photos Tony Romo’s top suitors are believed to be the Broncos and Texans. (AP) More

This, to put it mildly, is a concern.

While it’s assumed it was simply Romo’s hefty contract that kept teams away, the truth is there was another element in play. The fact that nobody has legitimate tape on Romo since his back injury. Yes, he played one series in the regular-season finale and threw four passes (including a touchdown). But that hardly passes muster in the NFL when it comes to seeing how far a quarterback has recovered from a back injury. Teams want to see a guy get hit, want to see him absorb punishment, and then want to assess how he moves around after that occurs. Especially if his game, like Romo’s, is steeped in mobility and improvisation. And the only team that really has an idea of how well he moves now is the Cowboys because they had him in practice every single day after he returned from his injury.

In that vein, it’s fair for NFL franchises to wonder if team owner Jerry Jones and the Cowboys might know something they don’t. And it’s also fair to suspect that the Tony Romo free-agent tour is going to seek to answer these concerns and questions. Romo, like Peyton Manning before him, will be expected to visit teams and go through some workouts before laying ink to contract terms. Indeed, teams won’t merely be selling themselves to Romo. He’ll have some selling to do, too, be it to the Denver Broncos or Houston Texans or whoever else will be installing him as a quality bridge quarterback or last-hurrah savior.

Romo is an attractive player if he can still move well – not just throw well. And one regular-season series since November 2015 isn’t a solid indicator of that. For that matter, neither are free-agent quarterback workouts. Teams need to see something before committing millions and shifting the axis of their franchise. And make no mistake, that’s what some clubs will be doing with Romo. Just take the two teams that are expected to fit Romo’s criteria – championship contender with a strong defense – for the next destination.

First, Denver. One of the most entertaining aspects of the “Where will Tony go?” conversation is listening to pundits talk about Romo’s potential fit with the Broncos. There is consistent waxing about general manager/de facto team owner John Elway and how this all harkens back to the Manning signing in 2012. It seems like such a perfect match, right? But inside that conversation, there isn’t a lot of discussion about how this isn’t the same team that won a Super Bowl after the 2015 season. Romo isn’t dropping into the middle of a Super Bowl team, no matter who suggests it.

Lest we forget, the 2016 Broncos went 9-7. That’s the roster Romo would be inheriting. Except that the offensive head coach, Gary Kubiak, is gone. And the defensive head coach, Wade Phillips, is gone. DeMarcus Ware likely won’t be back, either. That’s three very significant steadying voices out the door. There’s also the matter of an offensive line that does not appear to be better than last season’s mediocrity. This isn’t ideal considering protecting Romo should be a higher priority now than at any point in his career. And on top of all of that, the Broncos would be setting both of their young quarterbacks – Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch – to the side in hopes that Romo somehow is the element that puts it all together again. That sounds like an acceptable compromise in theory. But NFL quarterbacks develop by playing, not sitting for three years.

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