FRISCO, Texas – It remains a fluid situation, but it certainly doesn't sound like the Cowboys plan to move Tony Romo to injured reserve in the coming days.
Asked about it Tuesday morning on 105.3 FM The Fan in Dallas, team owner/general manager Jerry Jones suggested that much when emphasizing how much it would mean to get Romo back to the playing field.
"His importance to us -- his being able to play in a game, a half -- is really kind of unique," Jones said. "So, we'll be real liberal when we start evaluating when it is he'll start coming back."
Romo suffered a compression fracture in his back during the Aug. 25 preseason loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Various reports have pegged his timetable for recovery at 6-to-10 weeks, though Jones was sure to stress that the Cowboys don't have a definitive timeline for his return.
"I don't want to rule out anything -- I don't know that anybody is qualified to do that," he said. "Medicine basically gives you estimates and guidelines, and I'm not trying to be vague here. But there is no need to rule out anything."
If the Cowboys believe Romo can return on a quicker timetable, then it would make sense that they don't want to put him on IR. If he is sent to IR, then the 36-year-old wouldn't be able to play until after Week 8 – which would make the Nov. 6 game against Cleveland his earliest possible return date.
If Romo remains on the 53-man roster, then he's eligible to play as soon as he's ready. That fact is enough for Jones to want to keep him active – especially when comparing his availability to the impact of a different 53rd player.
"We don't have anybody valuable enough to take up that last spot to give us the opportunity to see how he does," Jones said. "There's just not enough value there realistically to bring somebody else in. That's the deciding factor."
The Cowboys obviously reserve the right to change their minds. But for the time being, it sounds like the plan is to keep Romo right where he is.
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