IRVING, Texas – So Tony Romo is back on the field this week, doing some light throwing here in practice.
But while the Cowboys remain optimistic about his progress, he's not exactly cleared to play. And, getting clearance is actually irrelevant anyway considering Romo isn't even eligible to play until the Nov. 22 game in Miami. Only six week have passed since he was placed on the eight-week injured reserve list after he suffered a fractured collarbone during the team's Week 2 win over Philadelphia.
But because the Cowboys are 2-0 with him as the starter and 0-5 when he's out of action, it begs the question:
*Should he have been placed on injury reserve in the first place? *
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett still thinks so, citing that just because Romo has returned to practice on a limited basis, that hasn't made him available to play.
"Again, it's a process of the bone healing. That just simply takes time," Garrett said Thursday. "We allocated that amount of time because that's what was prescribed for him to heal coming back from that injury. All signs have been that he's handled everything up to that point well. He had a good day (Wednesday). We just keep taking this situation day by day."
With Matt Cassel set to start his third straight game on Sunday night against the Eagles, he will take most of the reps this week. The work Romo is expected to get might be more off to the side, which will allow him to get comfortable throwing on a regular basis.
"Tony did what we thought he was going to be able to do," Garrett said. "He threw some individual routes. He threw on the side a little bit with Scott (Linehan). I think he looks good. A lot of progress has been made with his rehab. He doesn't look like he's not able to function throwing the football. He looks comfortable out there. Obviously, he hasn't thrown a ball in a little while; he's still working through this. We'll take him day-by-day, but again, it was a good start."
Despite playing less than two full games, Romo remains the Cowboys' leader in touchdown passes with three. Brandon Weeden, who went 0-3 as a starter, threw just two touchdowns, while Matt Cassel has just one in his two starts, along with a team-high three interceptions.
Even though the Cowboys have a quick turnaround after the Miami game, with Carolina coming to town for the Thanksgiving Day matchup four days later, owner/GM Jerry Jones has said he expects Romo to start the Nov. 22 game with the Dolphins.
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