Tony Romo cleared by medical staff: Playing status will be a coaching decision

Tony Romo has been cleared by doctors to return to the field, according to ESPN.com NFL Insider Ed Werder.

The question is when will that return happen, and in what capacity will Romo play is more a coaching decision now and not medical.

“Any time a player comes back from an injury, you have feedback from the player as to how he’s doing,” said Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, who would not confirm that the decision was up to the coaches.

“You watch him as a coach, you see how he’s doing. The trainers watch him and you come up with a decision as to what his status is in the game, and we’ll do that with 10 guys at practice today.”

Werder writes that a source told him that the despite Garrett’s vagueness on whether or not Romo will be available this Sunday against Pittsburgh, the decision now really comes down to a coaching choice and not something dictated by the medical staff.

The likely quarterback controversy with the Cowboys and whether or not rookie Dak Prescott should give up the start role to Romo is something that has hovered over the team this season, as Prescott has led Dallas to a 7-1 record while Romo recovered from a compression fracture in his back,

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones has not been clear on how the team will proceed, and head coach Jason Garrett has yet to be committal either.

Perhaps this week’s matchup against the Steelers will be a deciding factor in the decision, as another strong performance by Dak could ensure the starting role for the rookie, while a bad game and a loss could give the team a reason to return to Romo.