Even if the Cowboys have privately decided to turn things over to Dak Prescott, they still have another talented and very expensive quarterback on the roster.
So they’re making sure that no matter what happens or when, Tony Romo still feels valued (such that he doesn’t when that direct deposit hits).
“He’s a class act, and he’s a competitor,” Cowboys vice Stephen Jones said of Romo, via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “He knows right now he is not ready to go. He wants this team to thrive and give us ever possible chance to win a championship.
“He knows when he’s ready to go that, at some point, we are going to need him, and he’ll be ready. It’s a great situation.”
For the moment, it’s a moot point, as he didn’t practice Wednesday. The Cowboys were in full pads and he’s not cleared for contact yet as he recovers from a fracture in his back. He worked on the side with athletic trainers instead.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a setback,” Jones said. “I would just say that the more time that we can give him to get better while the team is still having success, I think the better chance Tony has to stay healthy. We all know what we went through last year. Certainly, he wanted to rush back to keep us in contention. He’s a great competitor. We felt like he was ready to go. Then he had another setback.
“I think the longer we can continue to get him ready to play the better chance he has to stay upright when it is time for him to play. I just think it’s a great situation for us right now. We’ll continue to work both sides. Obviously Dak is doing a great job playing right now. Tony’s doing a great job working on his rehab, getting himself in the best possible shape he can be in for when the time comes that we’re ready for him to go.”
And the longer it goes, the more it appears that time might not be this season, or at least until Prescott stumbles.