NFL teams
Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Tony Romo to undergo more tests before Cowboys decide status

NFL, Dallas Cowboys

FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will undergo more tests this week on his back before the team decides whether to keep him on the active roster or place him on injured reserve, according to coach Jason Garrett.

On Sunday, a source told ESPN.com the Cowboys would keep Romo on the active roster.

Romo suffered a compression fracture in his back on Aug. 25 against the Seattle Seahawks and is expected to need 6 to 10 weeks to recover. Sunday marked the first day the Cowboys could have placed Romo on injured reserve and had him return at some point during the regular season.

"We can take the next couple of days, and the reason why we want to take the next couple of days is we want to make sure it's enough time out from the original injury," Garrett said. "And that's where we're going to get the most information."

The Cowboys have until Friday to place Romo on injured reserve and have him be eligible to return to game action Nov. 6 against the Cleveland Browns. If they wait a week, then the timetable to return to game action would be pushed back to Nov. 13 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Cowboys chose to keep Romo on the active roster on Sunday when they added Mark Sanchez to the roster. Jameill Showers was let go to make room for Sanchez.

With rookie Dak Prescott set to start in Romo's absence, the Cowboys wanted to add a veteran presence. Sanchez has a 37-35 career record with 86 touchdown passes and 84 interceptions. He lost out on the Denver Broncos' starting quarterback competition to Trevor Siemian and was cut on Saturday.

The Cowboys and Broncos had some trade discussions before the move, but the Cowboys did not want to give up any trade compensation.

"Mark's been a good player in this league," Garrett said. "He's been a starting quarterback. He's been to the playoffs as a starting quarterback. He's started a lot of games. He was a very successful college quarterback. We played against him in our division, so we've seen him up close. He's an experienced guy who has a lot of ability. He can move around. He can throw the football. He's had success in the league.

"We thought it was a good opportunity to add to the depth of our quarterback position. When he was available, certainly it was a good opportunity for us to bring him here."

Sanchez will have to be active Sunday against the Giants.

"I think the biggest thing for him right now is to learn the offense, and he has to learn it quickly," Garrett said. "He's worked very hard in the last 24-36 hours trying to get comfortable with what we're doing. So I think that's where his focus needs to be.

"He'll pick it up. He's seen a lot of different offenses in his life, so a lot of the concepts will be familiar to him. The biggest thing will be learning the language. He's got to learn quickly, and that's where his focus is."

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