Jason Garrett will not call plays for the Cowboys this year. (Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said quarterback Tony Romo, who underwent back surgery in December, is ahead of schedule in his rehab from back surgery.
Jones said this week at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Fla., that Romo has not started throwing passes, but is expected to take part in the team’s offseason program, which begins April 21.
“He is ahead of expectations. He is ahead of where we expected him to be,” Jones said.
Romo had surgery to relieve the pressure of a herniated disk on Dec. 27, two days before the Cowboys’ regular season ended with a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17.
The starting quarterback has undergone two back procedures in the past year. Romo also had a cyst removed from his back last spring.
“You don’t rebuild with Romo,” Jones said. “The firepower we have on offense and where we are with our running backs, and our receivers — you don’t rebuild with an offense that’s got the capability we’ve got. We didn’t bring (Scott) Linehan in here to rebuild.”
Linehan, the the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, was brought in to call the team’s plays.
Head coach Jason Garrett is entering the final year of his contract. He has gone 8-8 in each of his three full seasons on the job.
