IRVING, Texas – Tony Romo underwent successful surgery on his left collarbone Tuesday and is expected to undergo a six-to-eight week period of recovery and treatment before returning to football related activity, the team announced.
For weeks, signs have pointed to Romo opting for surgery to further strengthen the left collarbone he has fractured on three separate occasions since 2010, including twice in a two-month span last fall. Surgery wasn't required, team officials have said since the 2015 season ended – routine scans this offseason have shown the bone has healed well on its own – but rather a preventative measure to help ensure the veteran quarterback won't re-injure it again.
A six-to-eight-week recovery timetable would put Romo on track to return for the Cowboys' offseason program. Last year the team scheduled the start of organized team activities (OTAs) for the final week of May, with a three-day minicamp also held in mid-June.
Romo started four games in 2015 – Weeks 1-2 and the two games over the annual Thanksgiving stretch. He completed 83 of 132 passes (68.6 percent) for 884 yards, 5 touchdowns and 7 interceptions for a 79.4 passer rating.[embeddedad0]
Romo's four starts were his fewest in a season since became the starter in 2006, and not coincidentally, the Cowboys' four wins were the franchise's fewest in that span, too.
Cowboys officials have expressed confidence that Romo, signed through 2019, will be able to play several more years at a high level. Common speculation is the team may look to draft and develop a young quarterback behind him.
"What is the one unequivocal fact that you can count on, relative to the preparation of this draft and on draft day, is that I'm planning on Romo being the quarterback for the next four or five years. That's a fact," Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said at the NFL Scouting Combine in late February. "You won't see a decision on draft day that will fly in the face of believing from our standpoint that he'll be our quarterback for four or five years."
