After fracturing his clavicle yesterday, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is expected to miss a good chunk of the 2015 season, with many reports estimating his recovery timetable at about eight weeks. As Adam Schefter tweets, ESPN’s Dr. Mark Adickes is the latest to indicate that he expects Romo to undergo surgery and to be sidelined for about eight weeks.
Given that projected timeline, the Cowboys will likely place Romo on injured reserve with the designation to return, assuming a CT scan confirms the team’s initial diagnosis, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. Using the IR-DTR spot on the Pro Bowl quarterback would mean he’d be unable to practice for six weeks and unable to play in a game for eight weeks.
Nearly half the teams in the NFL have already used their IR-DTR slot for the season, as each club only gets to use it on a single player. However, it remains unused for the Cowboys, as the team has opted not to put Dez Bryant on IR-DTR, despite indications that he could be out for at least eight weeks himself.
With Romo out, Brandon Weeden appears likely to start for the Cowboys over the next month or two, but the team will have to add at least one more signal-caller to the mix. Dallas is currently carrying two QBs – Kellen Moore and Jameill Showers – on its practice squad, and one of them could be promoted. However, the club may also want to look for outside help, perhaps targeting a more established veteran in case Weeden struggles or is injured himself.
