Cowboys place Romo on IR/return list

In a procedural move that was expected, the Cowboys placed Tony Romo on injured reserve/designated return.

The club was holding auditions for a backup quarterback Tuesday, working out Matt Flynn, Christian Ponder, Josh Johnson and McLeod Bethel-Thompson. As of early Tuesday afternoon, no determination had been made which, if any, of those quarterbacks would be signed, a source said.

Romo suffered a distal clavicle fracture in the victory over Philadelphia, an injury club officials believe will sideline the Pro Bowl quarterback for eight weeks. That tracks with the IR/return list, which states a player must miss eight weeks but is eligible to resume practicing with the team in six.

He’ll be allowed to return Nov. 17, which is five days before the Cowboys travel to South Florida to face the Miami Dolphins.

Here’s the twist: the team quickly follows up the game against the Dolphins with its annual Thanksgiving Day matchup. Two games in five days is a heavy workload for someone returning from a major injury.

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