While Tony Romo feverishly continues to try to alleviate the pain from a herniated disk, the Dallas Cowboys made a move that may have exposed their confidence that Romo could play, if not start, in the regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.
DallasCowboys.com reported that the team signed former Tony Romo backup Jon Kitna as a third quarterback on Christmas Eve.
NFL.com reported that Romo received an epidural injection to reduce the pain. It added that an epidural is the standard procedure in the treatment of a herniated disc. Kyle Orton currently is taking repetitions in practice with the first-team offense. The Cowboys will play the Eagles in Dallas with the winner advancing to the playoffs.
The team had worked out NFL journeymen quarterbacks David Carr, Caleb Hanie, John Skelton and Tyler Thigpen before deciding to resign the 41-year-old Kitna, who was second string behind Romo from 2009-2011.
Kitna retired after the season.
According to DallasCowboys.com, Kitna initially reached out Cowboys coach Jason Garrett when news of Romo's injury came to light.
"I saw Tony got hurt, and I told Jason if he needed somebody to come in that could call a play, be able to pull a play off if a bad situation happened, I'd be willing to do that," he said.
Wondering about the legitimacy of the offer, Garrett asked Kitna whether he was serious.
Kitna left his job as a high school algebra teacher in Tacoma, Wash., to return to Dallas. His admission that he hasn't been working out rigorously in hopes of signing with a team means that the Cowboys aren't thinking in terms of anything more than a few plays.
Certainly, the Cowboys would need a player who could finish the game if Orton was the only quarterback available. Kitna does not appear to fit that description. But because he knows the Cowboys offense, he would stand a chance of executing the offense for a limited time if called upon.
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