The Dallas Cowboys seem to be buying themselves more time when it comes to deciding whether Tony Romo will retake his starting job from Dak Prescott when Romo returns from injury. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, a decision will only be made once Romo is "100 percent healthy." That means Prescott could remain in the lineup following their Week 7 bye.
The Cowboys won’t even think about replacing Dak Prescott until Tony Romo is ‘100 percent’
Even then, there’s no guarantee that Romo will get his old job back.
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Up to this point, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has insisted that Romo will be the team’s starter once he recovers from a broken bone in his back. “Tony is our No. 1 quarterback. We’re going to have the luxury of being able to, I think, see them both,” Jones said last week, via NFL.com’s Kevin Patra. “I don’t want to presume that Dak is going to be necessarily healthy, I don’t want to presume anything like that. But I welcome the opportunity of having Dak playing at this level and Tony back in excellent health. It’s going to be really special for the Cowboys.”
Financially, the Cowboys appear tied to Romo until 2018. If they opt to trade Romo this offseason –– a move that would seem likely if they stuck with Prescott at quarterback for the rest of the year –– they would have to pay more than $19 million in dead money next season. If the Cowboys were to designate Romo as a post-June 1 cut, he would still cost them $12 million dead money for 2017 and almost $9 million the year after that.
With that said, it would be tough for Dallas to make a quarterback change if the team continues to win with Prescott. The first place Cowboys sit at 4-1 and are going for their fifth straight victory when they take on the Green Bay Packers Sunday. Prescott, a fourth-round pick out of Mississippi State, currently has a 101.5 QB passer rating. The rookie hasn't thrown a single interception this season. To further complicate matters, Rapoport says he senses there's support around the Cowboys locker room to keep the status quo with Prescott.
Romo, who injured his back at the end of training camp, is expected to return after the bye week for a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. A decision will have to be made eventually, but the Cowboys may do everything their power to delay the inevitable.
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