Brandon Weeden Should Leave The NFL

Photo Credit: Matthew Emmons / USA TODAY Sports

The NFL is not for everyone and some who play or have played in the NFL really don’t belong there. The perfect example being former Cleveland Browns and current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Brandon Weeden. While Weeden is generally younger than most of the veteran QBs, he plays like he’s been out of the game for years and that has shown through his performances in both Cleveland and Dallas. The only logical thing that Weeden could do at this point is give up on his NFL dream and leave the NFL for good.

Let’s start with Weeden’s entrance into the NFL. For those who don’t know, Weeden entered the NFL at age 29, yes you read that right, 29. Strictly thinking from an NFL perspective, 29 is old and extremely late especially to just be entering the league. At age 29, most quarterbacks have had at least a few years of experience. If that wasn’t the biggest red flag for a team to sign him, then there isn’t much else to say about it. It was not like Weeden was going to end up like a fine wine and only get better with age. If anything, Weeden has gotten worse with age.

Then there are his stats which really illustrate that first point even more. Weeden has only appeared in 32 games in his career, he played 15 of those games during his rookie season in Cleveland. During his first season in Cleveland, Weeden played like a true “rookie” with 14 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Interceptions are going to happen to even the best rookies when they are adjusting to the game, that much is understandable. However, the next year Weeden didn’t get much better, only appearing in eight games, but threw nine touchdowns to nine interceptions. If that wasn’t enough incentive for the Browns to get rid of Weeden, then what else could it be?

The Dallas Cowboys picked up Weeden in 2014 as a backup to Tony Romo. Clearly no one thought that the Cowboys were going to go as far as they did last year. Comparing Weeden to Romo is pointless since there really is no comparison. During his first year in Dallas, Weeden appeared in five games and threw for three touchdowns and two interceptions, making everyone question why he would be an appropriate backup to Romo. That brings us to the present where Romo was injured in week 2, seamlessly handing the job to Weeden. The Cowboys tried to act like Weeden could handle it, but two touchdowns and two interceptions in four games tells otherwise.

At this point, Weeden has already passed his prime and the only logical solution would be for him to either leave or the Cowboys can release him. The starting job was Weeden’s to lose and he lost it which is what many assumed would happen. If there’s one thing Weeden can do right, it would be to leave and make room for someone who truly deserves that roster spot instead of being a painful reminder of what the Cowboys don’t have now.