Dallas Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones has stated that the team fully expects quarterback Tony Romo to be fit for the beginning of the NFL season in September.

Jones made the revelation via a conference call to season ticket holders, with Romo seemingly progressing well during his recovery from surgery on a herniated disk back in December.

Due to the injury, Romo missed the Cowboys' final game of the campaign, costing them a post-season place.

"Yes Tony will be ready, and he's actually progressing great," Jones said. "He's on schedule, if not ahead of schedule. He's throwing the ball around, we not only think he'll be ready for opening week, he'll start up at training camp and be ready to go.

"He's obviously a tremendous competitor, and in our mind he kept us in all season long with a defense that was depleted with injuries, with a chance to win the NFC East in the last game of the year. And if he had played in that game, that game might have gone in a different direction."

Romo has been the first-choice quarterback for the Cowboys since 2005. He has missed just 11 regular-season matches since he made his debut.