Dallas Cowboys

Romo placed on IR/designated to return with broken collarbone

Published Sep. 22, 2015 1:07 p.m. ET

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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo on Tuesday was placed on the injured reserve/designated to return list after breaking his collarbone against the Eagles on Sunday.

Per NFL rules, the move guarantees that Romo will miss the next eight weeks, and he is eligible to return to action in Week 11, on Nov. 22 at Miami, if he’s healthy enough to play by then. He can practice again in six weeks, starting Nov. 4.

Romo broke the same collarbone during the 2010 regular season, and that injury forced him to miss the final 12 regular-season games. The Cowboys, who have started 2-0 this season, started that season with a 1-7 record.

Backup quarterback Brandon Weeden will replace Romo on Sunday at home against Atlanta. Although Weeden struggled during his one start in place of Romo in 2014, the Cowboys are confident that he will take a step forward in his second year in the offensive scheme.

On Tuesday, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones expressed an exceptional amount of confidence in Weeden, before acquiring Matt Cassel from Buffalo, sending a fifth-round pick in 2017 to the Bills and getting their seventh-round pick that year.

Cassel has 71 starts in 90 games over 11 seasons, not counting the opener this year when he took the first snap for the Bills with Tyrod Taylor lined up at receiver.

Cassel provided the Bills with veteran depth and was given a shot to compete for the starting job along with Taylor, a free-agent addition, and former starter EJ Manuel.

The three-way competition lasted until the final week of the preseason when Taylor was selected as the starter by coach Rex Ryan.

The Bills then made a calculated risk by releasing Cassel as part of a cost-cutting move because his $4.15 million base salary was deemed too expensive for a backup. Days later, the Bills re-signed Cassel to a one-year contract with a $2 million base salary.

Cassel said he turned down offers to sign with other teams to stay in Buffalo because he was familiar with the Bills' system and because he didn't want to relocate his wife, who was eight months pregnant.

Weeden, who turns 32 next month, has lost eight straight games as a starter, including last year against Arizona when Romo was out with a back injury. The skid goes back to his two-year stint in Cleveland, where he had a 5-15 record after the Browns drafted him late in the first round in 2012.

Weeden was 7 of 7 with a clinching 42-yard touchdown to Terrance Williams in last week's 20-10 win over the Eagles.

Kellen Moore, a fourth-year player who hasn't appeared in a regular-season game, is likely to get called up from the practice squad while the Cowboys get Cassel familiar with their system.

Dallas also put defensive tackle Terrell McClain on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday with a toe injury sustained last weekend against the Eagles. And the team signed running back Gus Johnson back to the practice squad after waiving him last week. Johnson takes the spot of linebacker Joe Thomas, who was signed by Green Bay on Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

(h/t Todd Archer on Twitter)