Tony Romo is the unquestioned leader of the Dallas Cowboys. That’s been the anthem blasting out of the team’s Frisco headquarters since before the season began. But rookie Dak Prescott is doing everything in his power to make things complicated.
Should he continue to play like a 10-year veteran and lead the Cowboys to another win against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, things are about to get very interesting during the bye.
When asked about this sticky situation, owner Jerry Jones acknowledged things aren’t as clear-cut at the team would like them to be.
If Dak wins Sunday is he starter going forward? Jerry Jones: "I don't know if I'd look at it that way…There's nothing simple about this."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 14, 2016
While Jones isn’t ready to commit to Prescott, he’s absolutely leaving the door open for the rookie to continue starting if he performs well against Green Bay.
Interestingly enough, this is a scenario that executive vice president Stephen Jones pondered a couple months back. He compared this situation to what happened in New England when Tom Brady supplanted Drew Bledsoe. In that interview, he didn’t slam the door on the idea that Prescott could keep his job, either (more on that here).
Dallas has been targeting a Week 8 return for the veteran. Romo himself is reportedly targeting Week 8 or Week 9 after receiving good news on a recent MRI. He’s finally throwing hard and getting his body ready for NFL action for the first time since breaking a bone in his back during a preseason game.
He’s close to being ready to return. But even if he’s fully healthy for Week 8 and is ready to roll, Dallas has to think long and hard about keeping Prescott in the starting lineup if he wins again Sunday.
Now, all this speculation could prove pointless if Prescott stinks it up on Sunday in Wisconsin. If the Cowboys lose and the rookie plays like one for the first time this season, then you can be sure Romo will get the nod once he’s healthy.
This is the reason why Jones isn’t ready to make any statements about Prescott keeping the job. He knows the upcoming game will have a lot to do with what the team decides moving forward.
Stay tuned. This is going to be a fascinating story to follow the next couple of weeks.