IRVING, Texas – Tony Romo won't need surgery on his broken left collarbone, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett confirmed Monday afternoon.
Romo underwent full-scale medical evaluations on Monday, less than 24 hours after he fractured the shoulder in the Cowboys' 20-10 win against Philadelphia. Garrett didn't want to set a definitive timetable, but he said he expects Romo's absence to span about eight weeks.
"I don't think there's anything definitive about the timetable. He does have a fractured collarbone," he said. "There was no additional damage, based on the examination that he had today, to the ligaments. So that was a positive thing. He's not going to have surgery. We don't want to put a definitive timetable on it other than to say it's probably going to be around eight weeks or so."
The diagnosis fits with what had been projected when Romo was injured early in the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The typical timeframe for a broken clavicle is about six-to-eight weeks, especially if there's no need for surgery – a silver lining to Romo's injury.
Now, the waiting game begins. Garrett said the Cowboys have yet to determine whether they'll use their short-term injured reserve designation on Romo – that decision is likely coming later this week.
"In the next couple of days, we'll determine if that's a worthwhile option for us," Garrett said.
If they were to send Romo to short-term IR, he'd be removed from the active roster for eight weeks. He'd be eligible to begin practicing after six weeks, but he'd be unable to play until the team's trip to Miami on Nov. 22.
"We just got all the information back just a few hours ago, so we'll continue to have those discussion," Garrett said.
If the team opts to keep him on the active roster, they'd be dedicating two roster spots to players who will be sidelined for at least the next month in Romo and Dez Bryant – though that decision could potentially allow him to return earlier.
In the meantime, the Cowboys will go forward with Brandon Weeden as their starting quarterback. The fourth-year veteran completed 7-of-7 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles after Romo was injured.
Garrett said the front office is still considering its options concerning the depth behind Weeden. The Cowboys currently have two quarterbacks on their practice squad in Kellen Moore and Jameill Showers, but Weeden is the only healthy quarterback on the 53-man roster.
A decision about that situation will also be coming later in the week, according to Garrett.
"We'll certainly consider all options to make our team better," he said. "We like the options that we have right now. We have Kellen Moore on our practice squad, and he's a guy we brought in here for a reason. He's been around Scott Linehan and this offensive system, and we feel comfortable with him. But we're always looking to better our team."
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