IRVING – For years as the Cowboys searched for their next Troy Aikman, owner and general manager Jerry Jones expressed the desire to avoid the top of the draft, fearing the risk financially and physically to his team should the quarterback not become a star.
He drafted Quincy Carter in the second round and looked to baseball refugees such as Chad Hutchinson and Drew Henson, hoping to cash in on lower risk chances. He even took a veteran gamble on Drew Bledsoe in 2005.
On Saturday, Jones had the chance he was looking for as Notre Dame's Brady Quinn, who was among the top 10 players on the Cowboys' draft board, was available when the Cowboys had the No. 22 pick in the first round.
Instead, the Cowboys passed, dealing the pick to Cleveland for the Browns' second-round pick and, most importantly, their No. 1 pick in 2008. After passing on Quinn with the third overall pick, Cleveland had its man because the Cowboys believe they already have theirs.
If there were any questions the Cowboys still wonder what they have in Romo, who started 10 games in 2006 and earned a Pro Bowl berth, they are gone now.
"I've always felt all along that Jerry and the organization believed in me, and I definitely believe in them," Romo said from the Cowboys' Championship Celebration for the Salvation Army's National Advisory Organizations Conference at Texas Stadium. "I just think once again that showed during the draft."
Romo threw for 2,903 yards with 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with a 95.1 quarterback rating. The Cowboys were 6-4 in his 10 starts as he rallied the team to its second playoff berth in four seasons under former coach Bill Parcells.
Seeing Quinn at No. 22 was not a surprise to the Cowboys. Last week Jones, head coach Wade Phillips and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett played through the exact scenario.
Once Miami chose receiver Ted Ginn Jr., the Cowboys' phones started to ring. With few teams at No. 10 through No. 21 in need of a quarterback, the Cowboys found themselves in a lucrative spot.
Jones said two teams offered next year's No. 1 pick, but had they not taken the Browns' offer they were unsure they could trade back into the first round to grab Purdue defensive end Anthony Spencer, who will be converted into an outside linebacker.
The Cowboys pulled off their second trade with Cleveland in the second round, giving up the 53rd overall pick for the Browns' third (67th) and fourth (103rd) selections. The teams also swapped sixth-round picks. With their third-round pick the Cowboys added Boston College offensive lineman James Marten.
But the success of this draft will be measured on the fortunes of Romo and Quinn.
Before making the first deal with Cleveland, the Cowboys revisited the possibility of taking Quinn. With Charlie Weis as his coach for two years, Quinn threw 69 touchdown passes and was intercepted 14 times.
Since 1991 the Cowboys have drafted two quarterbacks – Bill Musgrave (fourth round, 1991) and Carter (second round, 2001). In 1989, they took Troy Aikman with the No. 1 overall pick and later chose Steve Walsh in the first round of the supplemental draft.
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Anthony Spencer had 10.5 sacks last season at Purdue.
The temptation briefly was there.
"We had hoped there would be an opportunity there when we saw Quinn falling," Jones said. "We agreed that our best opportunity to take advantage of him wasn't in the conventional way of putting him on our roster, but just to see how bad somebody wanted him at our spot. We got to take advantage of that with our trade."
Romo was watching most of the draft and felt badly as ESPN kept coming back to Quinn, the lone prospect still in the Green room. Romo and Quinn share the same representation, Creative Artists Agency, and have met.
"Hey, the draft day is not always the most exciting thing," said Romo, who went undrafted in 2003. "I expected to be drafted a few years ago, and it didn't go well for me. Now, it's a blessing in disguise when I look back at it. I'm sure the same thing will happen for him."
Romo is entering the final year of his contract and the Cowboys have had only mild talks with his agents about a new deal. Given Saturday's move, Romo appears to have leverage on his side.
"I don't know about that stuff," Romo said. "For me, I have a real good relationship with the Jones family, and we're going to be fine together."
