Does Tony Romo Belong In The Cowboys Ring Of Honor, And If So, Should He Be Next?

Now that Tony Romo has retired and gone into broadcasting, we’re starting to look at the legacy he left in Dallas. Whenever the debate about Romo comes up, there are basically two sides to the argument. The pro-Romo side says he set all kinds of Cowboys records in his time and carried the team to relevancy while having a questionable roster around him. The con-Romo side says he had great stats but could never lead Dallas to the consistent playoff wins and never got them to the Super Bowl. The answer probably lies somewhere between those two extremes, but much closer to the pro-Romo thinking. When you compare his play with the peers of his era, he comes out looking pretty dang good.

Good enough for the NFL Hall of Fame? The consensus there seems to be no, without the ring, without any appearances in the Super Bowl, without any kind of dominance in the playoffs, it’s just not likely to happen. His career falls just short.

But what about the Dallas Cowboys ultimate honor, the Ring of Honor? Does Romo belong there? That’s a question that has popped up all over the place in the past couple of days.

The Cowboys have three quarterbacks in the ROH, Don Meredith, Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. Staubach and Aikman achieved all you could in the NFL with Super Bowl rings. Meredith took Dallas to what was essentially a conference championship game twice. Romo never got his team there, but the argument of his team versus his ability is central to the issue. Romo certainly racked up bigger stats than those guys, but he also played in a different, passing era.

Also, there’s another Cowboy who recently retired. DeMarcus Ware didn’t finish his career in Dallas, but played the bulk of his career here. Will he be a candidate for the ROH? Based on his stats and his reputation as one of the best pass rushers the game has seen (eighth on the all-time sack list), you would think he might get in.

Then there is Jerry Jones himself. With his upcoming induction into the NFL Hall of Fame, will the Jones family push his induction into the ROH?

And don’t forget, sometime soon, Jason Witten’s name is going to enter these conversations.

Let’s take a quick spin around Cowboys Nation and see what people are saying about Romo, and some of the others.

Bryan Broaddus:

DeMarcus Ware and Tony Romo will surely be inducted soon. Witten when he's done playing. Another one to keep an eye on is Jerry Jones himself with the family making the push to do it now that he's in the Hall of Fame. My dream player would have been Harvey Martin but I believe those days have passed.

Rob Phillips:

This is just my opinion: I think Romo, Witten and DeMarcus Ware are logical player choices from the 2000s era Cowboys when all are retired. Inducting them all at once would be pretty cool, though it’s hard to compare anyone to the Triplets. And don’t forget about other players from the ‘90s and ‘70s who haven’t gotten in. So many great players in this franchise’s history – that’s what makes the exclusivity of the Ring of Honor so special.

Marcus Spears:

I think when you look at the guys who are in the Ring of Honor ... I think so. I think he has the opportunity. And not just because of the way he played. Yeah, he had great numbers, numbers speak for itself. But the relationship and the air in which he carried the organization. You guys got to think about this now. When Tony Romo came in as an undrafted free agent behind Drew Bledsoe, nobody knew what we had. Nobody knew if Dallas would have to draft quarterbacks and a lot of drafts were able to go differently because Tony Romo was in place and playing well. You think about the franchises that have been looking for quarterbacks over this time, they struggle. They've struggled a lot. But Tony was a staple and a mainstay and he made plays and some of the most memorable plays in Cowboy history. So I think he has a real shot of getting into the Ring of Honor.

Brandon George:

Romo doesn't have the Super Bowls, but his numerous accolades and 78-49 record as a Cowboys' starter should stand for something.

Romo often played through injuries and became the face of the franchise for a decade. No other NFL quarterback over the last three seasons has a higher passer rating than Romo's 106.4 and - no matter what you might think - he was one of the most clutch fourth-quarter players in the league. His 25 fourth-quarter comebacks tie him for 14th in NFL history.

Both polarizing and prolific, Romo will finish his career in Dallas remembered for both the bad and the good.

But give Romo his due. The highest-paid undrafted player in NFL history is deserving of the Cowboys' Ring of Honor.

Jon Machota:

Romo was one of the best to ever put on a Cowboys uniform. He belongs in the Ring of Honor. But it takes Super Bowl rings to get in the conversation with Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. Unfortunately for Romo, injuries prevented him from playing with some talented offenses the last two seasons.

So what say you BTB? Should Tony Romo be an inductee into the Cowboys Ring of Honor? And should he be the next one to go in, or should someone else go before him?