Schlereth: Broncos should ‘kick the tires’ on Tony Romo

The remaining four teams that will battle for a Super Bowl berth in next Sunday’s AFC and NFC championships have at least one thing in common: elite quarterback play.

Each team — the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, and Pittsburgh Steelers — ranks among the top-7 in the NFL in terms of passing yards and top-6 in passing touchdowns.

It’s quarterbacks — Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Ben Roethlisberger — ranks in the top-7 in passing touchdowns and top-10 in QBR.

Comparatively, the Denver Broncos starter for much of 2016, Trevor Siemian, ranked among the bottom of the league in most passing categories. Same goes the team as a whole.

So, if the path back to a conference championship is good quarterback play, and the Broncos aren’t getting that, “Schlereth and Evans” co-host Mark Schlereth asked Monday why not “kick the tires” on an “elite-level quarterback” like Dallas Cowboys’ Tony Romo?

“If Tony Romo wants to come over here, who are you to say no? I understand if it doesn’t fit in the cap, but there’s a guy that wants to play here. He is an elite-level quarterback. The cap is going up,” Schlereth said. “Do you have room to not only get Tony Romo signed but to fix some of the issues you have on the offensive line? It’s at least worth having the conversation.”

The knock on Romo — who NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported this weekend would like to land in Denver with Dak Prescott overtaking his starting role in Dallas — has been his durability, starting just four games in the last two seasons.

Was asked about #Cowboys’ plans for Tony Romo in 2017. No secret, #Broncos are his No. 1 spot. I’m told DEN is not inclined to trade for him

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 15, 2017

But Schlereth’s co-host Mike Evans said bringing in Romo would be a risk no bigger than the one Denver took in signing Peyton Manning.

“I just think it comes down to it’s a gamble worth taking if you want to maximize the window of opportunity you have with this defense,” Evans said.

And Denver would likely be back in the hunt for a Super Bowl should Romo find himself under center for the Broncos, Schlereth said, especially if general manager John Elway and company can improve the offensive line.

“If you can get even a slight improvement in personnel on that offensive line with better coaching, that could be incredible. That could put you right back in,” Schlereth said.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.