Tony Romo Injury Update: Cowboys QB to Avoid Going on Injured Reserve

Despite the fact that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is out with a fracture in his back, team owner Jerry Jones revealed Tuesday the team will not place the signal-caller on injured reserve.

Jones announced the news as part of an interview on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas (h/t ESPN.com's Todd Archer). He wouldn't rule out an early return for Romo and said the 36-year-old would be more valuable than a healthy 53rd man on the roster.

No official timetable has been released, but David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reported Romo could be out six to 10 weeks. Being placed on IR with a designation to return would have disqualified Romo from practicing for the first six weeks of the season and playing for the first eight weeks. 

Until Romo is healthy, the Cowboys will proceed with rookie Dak Prescott as their starting quarterback after a fantastic preseason. But while Prescott has shown big-time flashes of brilliance, the Cowboys tend to struggle without Romo in the lineup.

He missed all but four games last season due to a pair of clavicle injuries. Dallas went 3-1 in contests he started and 1-11 in those he didn't.

Prescott is a better option than what Matt Cassel, Brandon Weeden and Kellen Moore provided last season. But there is no replacing Romo, who is a four-time Pro Bowler and has thrown for 26 or more touchdowns in a season on seven occasions.

The Cowboys went from first to worst in the NFC East between 2014 and 2015, and Romo's absence was the driving force behind that. Jones' decision to pass up injured reserve is a clear indication he is desperate to get his No. 1 signal-caller back on the field as soon as possible, regardless of Prescott's talent.

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