OXNARD, Calif. – Coming off back surgery last year, quarterback Tony Romo didn't practice more than two consecutive days in training camp.
This year, healthy and coming off essentially his first full offseason participation since 2012, Romo will start training camp Thursday without a structured practice routine, head coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday.
"Just like with any player, we'll monitor those guys day by day," Garrett said. "Tony did a really good job this offseason, he practiced virtually in all of the OTAs, some days were more full than others, and we'll just kind of watch him. We don't have a plan right now saying he's going to practice two days, be off a day, whatever.[embeddedad0]
"But as training camp goes on we'll develop that plan based on how he's feeling, how he's handling the workload. You'll probably see him practice a lot, you'll probably see him have some off days. There's nothing structured at this point."
The Cowboys will use training camp to decide their 53-man roster and prepare for the Sept. 13 season opener against the Giants. But they also want to ensure they're as healthy as possible then.
Arguably no one on the roster is more vital to their success than Romo, who posted a career-best, franchise-record and NFL-leading 113.2 passer rating and 69.9 completion percentage last season as the Cowboys won their first division title since 2009.
Now he enters his 13th NFL season looking to take the team a step further.
"He's always had a great feel for the game. He's one of the most instinctive athletes I've ever been around," Garrett said. "So that's always been there, but his ability to channel that in a really positive and productive way over a consistent period of time during a game, over the course of games, over the course of a season, is probably a thing that stands out more than anything else. But he's a great football player and has been for a long time."
