Tony Romo is going to miss some time for the Dallas Cowboys after fracturing his back on Thursday against the Seattle Seahawks. When will Romo return?
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Dallas Cowboys star quarterback “Tony Romo has a compression fracture of his L1 vertebrae…an injury that could sideline him 6-10 weeks.”
Tony Romo has a compression fracture of his L1 vertebrae, per @toddarcher, an injury that could sideline him 6-10 weeks.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 27, 2016
With Dallas having one more preseason game on Thursday, September 1 against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium, Romo is likely to return to the Cowboys sometime between NFL Weeks 5 through 9.
The earliest Romo might be able to play would be on Sunday, October 9 when the Cowboys take on the AFC North contender Cincinnati Bengals. Returning against a near-certain AFC Playoff team with the defensive personnel Cincinnati has at its disposal makes this return date highly unlikely, even if it is at home.
One could argue that it would be even less likely that Romo could return in Week 6, as the Cowboys will play the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday, October 16th. Like Cincinnati, Green Bay is a lock for the NFL Playoffs, but the Week 6 game being on the road feels almost impossible for a Week 6 return for Romo.
Dallas has an early, but much-needed Week 7 bye. This could aid in possibly seeing Romo return in Week 8 when the Cowboys take on the arch nemesis Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football on October 30th. This would be a prime spot for Romo to return against hated Philadelphia on primetime television in late October.
If Romo doesn’t return to the Cowboys in Week 8 at home against Philadelphia on Sunday Night Football, then he is bound to return in one of the Cowboys’ three AFC North games in November: Week 9 at the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, November 6th, Week 10 at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, November 13th, or Week 11 versus the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, November 20th.
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Returning for a huge rivalry game at home in Week 8 against Philadelphia makes the most sense, but it may be until mid-November before Romo can again take to the gridiron for the Cowboys.