Romo to wear back brace during rehab; Garrett won't disclose timeline
A back injury suffered in Thursday's preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks reportedly has Tony Romo facing a recovery time of 6-10 weeks.
Preseason star Dak Prescott is in line to start until Romo can make his healthy return, but Jason Garrett isn't ready to put a clear timeline on that process.
The Dallas Cowboys head coach pointed to Romo's previous history of playing with a broken bone in his back as one of several reasons he won't even rule him out for the opener.
"We've gotten a lot of different timetables for when he can return," Garrett told reporters Sunday, according to Todd Archer of ESPN. "We also know that he's played with a broken bone in his back before, so there's no reason for me to stand up here and put a timetable on this.
"I think a lot of other people outside of this building have suggested they know what the timetable is. That's not the world we live in. We live in the world day by day, do what you can to get yourself better and we'll update you as we go."
Garrett explained that Romo will wear a back brace to stabilize the L1 vertebra as he begins his recovery, and will continue to be evaluated on a daily basis.
Romo missed all but four games in 2015 due to two separate broken clavicles. The reported timeline for his recovery could conceivably result in Prescott being forced into the lineup for up to half of the regular season.
"Dak has done a nice job since he's been with us," Garrett said. "It started in the spring after the draft. He's a very prepared guy. He wants to take full advantage of the opportunities he gets on the practice field and in games. He works very hard at it.
"I think the players see that, and he's done a good job throughout training camp, learning the offense and executing plays and done a good job in the preseason. So excited to have him step into that role in Tony's absence and excited to really just focus our attention on today and try to get better today, Sunday. And that's where our focus is. That's where our attention is."