NFL Notes: Tony Romo, Jets, Lions

Tony Romo

On Wednesday, new CBS analyst Tony Romo said he previously considered the Jets before deciding to retire from the NFL.

“I took a look at them,” Romo said, via Darryl Slater of NJ.com. “I’m not going to say if they were in the final four. But I did take a look. I went through a lot of teams. There was a lot of discussion. I had narrowed the focus to about four teams. From there, obviously, I made the decision to come to CBS. I felt like the opportunity was just too big to pass up.”

For what it’s worth, Romo believes the Jets could be a little better than some think.

“They can be less bad,” said Romo. “That [Josh McCown starting] is in the best interest of the team. It’s a good thing for them, to send the message to everybody: We’re trying to win in Week 1 and this season. The NFL is a very finite thing between being good and bad. They have some pieces. They’re a little bit away.”

Jets

Rich Cimini of ESPN takes a look at several veteran players who could be on the roster bubble for the Jets in the coming days.

• Cimini’s list includes RB Matt Forte, CB Marcus Williams, DE Kony Ealy, WR Jalin Marshall, LB Lorenzo Mauldin, NT Mike Pennel, LS Tanner Purdum and PK Chandler Catanzaro.
• Forte is the most notable of this group and is reportedly available for trade (NFLTR). However, his status with the Jets could come down to how the Jets feel about rookie Elijah McGuire, according to Cimini.
• Williams is another player reportedly on the trading block (NFLTR). Cimini mentions that Williams’ $2.75 million is a lot of money for a fifth cornerback and the Jets may prefer to go with a rookie such as Derrick Jones or Xavier Coleman this year.
  Ealy was just claimed off of waivers but he’s also being asked to learn a new system in a few weeks before the start of the season.

Lions

Kyle Meinke of Mlive.com takes a look at some Lions’ players on the roster bubble heading into the preseason finale.

• According to Meinke, the players worth keeping an eye on in the coming days include WR Jace Billingsley, WR Jared Abbrederis, TE Cole Wick, DE Pat O’Connor, DE Jeremiah Valoaga, DE Alex Barrett, OT Storm Norton, LB Nick Bellore and LB Steve Longa.
• There was a good amount of buzz about Abbrederis during minicamp, but it’s possible the Lions could keep just four receivers, which means Abbrederis could be competing with Billingsley for one spot. Meinke writes that Billingsley offers more as a slot receiver and on special teams, which could give him the leg up for the final spot.