Eagles coach Chip Kelly believes Cowboys QB Tony Romo is elite

Eagles head coach Chip Kelly said in a conference call Wednesday that Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is elite.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly said in a conference call Wednesday that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is “elite,” according to the Dallas Morning News' Jon Machota.

“Tony has been an elite quarterback for a long time,” Kelly said. “He's as good as anybody playing right now.”

Romo, who has often received blame for Cowboys missteps over the past ten seasons, is a four-time Pro Bowler and possesses a career 97.7 quarterback rating. 

Romo, 35, also has the second-best passer rating (102.4) in the fourth quarter in NFL history behind Aaron Rodgers (102.6).

“His understanding of the game, his understanding of exactly what everybody is doing, his ability to direct traffic, whether it be protections or check to runs or knowing exactly where the defense is vulnerable, depending on the defensive call, he seems like he always gets them in the right play,” Kelly added. "And it really manifests itself at the end of games because he's just so strong with it, to go along with the skill set of being such an accurate quarterback.”

• Blanket Coverage: Why Grigson should be on the hot seat with Pagano

In Week 1 against the New York Giants, Romo conducted a last-minute, game-winning drive that gave the Cowboys a 27–26 win. He found Jason Witten for an 11-yard touchdown pass with seven seconds left, and Dan Bailey converted the extra point to give the Cowboys the lead and the eventual victory.

Kelly's Eagles lost to the Atlanta Falcons 26-24 to open their season on Monday Night Football.

The Eagles and the Cowboys will play Sunday in Philadelphia at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX.

- Kayla Lombardo