The Dallas Cowboys have all but confirmed Dak Prescott is going to remain their starting quarterback as long as he continues to play well. It's been trending that way since last month, when the Cowboys started raising doubts about Tony Romo's health. After weeks of insisting that Romo was on the fast track to returning, the team swiftly walked back those claims following its Week 6 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Now, even though Romo returned to practice this week, the Cowboys say they have no timetable for his recovery.
Tony Romo isn’t even ready to be the Cowboys backup
Romo is practicing, but the Cowboys have unofficially made it Dak Prescott’s team.
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Cowboys are prepared to stick with Prescott at QB. “It is important to note what actually happened in practice this week. I’m told it is merely a good start for Romo,” Rapoport said on NFL Network. “He has not even taken real team reps yet, and until he does that, he’s not even in consideration to be –– forget about the starter –– even the backup. So it certainly seems like the Cowboys are a little ways away from getting Romo on the field. Meanwhile, it seems like they are inclined to ride the hot hand, which means as long as Dak Prescott succeeds, expect him to stay in there.”
The Cowboys didn’t become Prescott’s team overnight. When Romo injured his back in Week 3 of the preseason, head coach Jason Garrett underplayed the severity of the injury. Even though Prescott impressed during September, the Cowboys still acted like he was keeping Romo’s seat warm. As recently as early October, owner Jerry Jones reaffirmed Romo was the club’s No. 1 quarterback.
But now, the Cowboys are changing their tune. Though Romo reportedly looked good at practice this week, Jones said he doesn’t expect the veteran to be back until the end of the year. It’s apparent Prescott won the starting job, and the Cowboys are trying to come up with a way to spin their decision. Jones admitted as much in a recent radio interview. “You want to be very mindful of what you’ve got going, which right now we’ve got a lot of chemistry going,” he said in his weekly Dallas radio appearance. “That has got to be really recognized if you’re making a decision.”
This doesn’t mean Romo is done in Dallas. Team CEO Stephen Jones said Thursday the Cowboys are going to need Romo this season. But for now, it seems like his role will be backing up.
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