Dallas

Romo Has Broken Bone in Back, Could Miss Several Weeks

A Friday MRI revealed Tony Romo has a broken bone in his back

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's season is in jeopardy after a MRI revealed he has a broken bone in his back.

Jason Garrett said Saturday he is confident that Romo will return at some point this season. Reports suggest he could miss 6-10 weeks.

"If you guys remember, he has played with fractures in his back before," Garrett said, referring to Romo's quick return from a small fracture in his back in 2014. "So that, probably more than anything else, is what is not giving us a timetable. We've heard a wide range of possibilities in terms of when he would be able to play."

Romo took a vicious hit from behind in Thursday's preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. He was visibly in pain and didn't return to the game as a result.

Romo tried to convince the coaching staff he was OK to go back in, saying he was fine. After the game, the quarterback said he would be ready for Week 1.

"You're naive if you don't think when you lose your starting quarterback that it's not a punch in the gut," said Cowboys VP Stephen Jones. "Tony is one of the great players in the league."

The 36-year-old underwent two surgeries on his back in the last 30 months in addition to two collarbone breaks. Romo's back held up in 2014 and 2015 due to extensive maintenance which included limited practice time.

Jones told reporters on Saturday that Romo isn't nearing the end of his career.

"I wouldn't dare go there. Tony is more driven than ever to get himself into shape," Jones said.  "He's going to be the first one to say this won't be his last year."

Jones added the Cowboys are searching for a backup quarterback.

"If we see a quarterback that can come in here, we'll look at that," Jones said.

The Cowboys went 4-12 last season after Romo missed 12 games due to injury. They were 1-11 without him on the field.

Rookie Dak Prescott is expected to start with Romo on the sidelines.

"Dak has done a nice job really at every turn starting back at training camp," Garrett said. "I thought he did a particularly good job in this game against Seattle because he certainly didn't anticipate going in on the fourth play of the game."

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