Tony Romo returned to practice, but don't expect to see the veteran suiting up for a game soon.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday on NFL GameDay Morning First that Romo remains in the beginning stages of his return and has yet to fully participate in practices.
"The Cowboys really don't know," Rapoport said when asked when Romo might return. "But it is important to note what actually happened in practice this week. I'm told it is merely a good start for Romo. 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."
That's the long way of saying: Prescott's not getting benched unless he implodes or gets hurt.
The Cowboys have the luxury of bringing Romo back slowly. If the rookie had been struggling and Dallas was sitting near the bottom of the NFC East, we would likely have seen Romo rushed back to the field.
Instead, the Cowboys have a two-win lead in the division and the best record in the NFC.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke Friday on KRLD-FM in Dallas/Fort Worth about the ability to having both Romo and Prescott ready for games in the coming weeks.
"We can be most a unique position," Jones said, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "We can have Dak playing at a high level and Tony behind him. And we walk about there and say 'boy we got to get him in games.' I see Tony active in the future and in the near future."
Being active is different than starting.