Dak Prescott makes his NFL debut Sunday afternoon in Dallas in a Cowboys all-rookie backfield with Ezekiel Elliott. The No. 4 overall pick cemented his status as the Cowboys' workhorse while the fourth-round quarterback takes over after the most recent Tony Romo injury.
After dazzling in the preseason, however, Prescott isn't merely keeping the seat warm for a Romo return.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning on NFL GameDay First that the door is open for Prescott to keep the starting gig even after Romo is healthy. Prescott pulling a Tom Brady to Romo's Drew Bledsoe is very much in play.
"From my understanding, talking to Cowboys people over the last several weeks, the door is open, though slightly, for Dak Prescott to come in and impress enough and potentially take Tony Romo's job, which is something that would have sounded crazy just a couple months ago," Rapoport said. "In fact, when I talked to Stephen Jones a couple weeks ago, he actually brought up, himself, the Brady-Bledsoe comparison from 2001. This year is much different from last year. They are not sitting around waiting for Tony Romo to return. The confidence in Dak Prescott is palpable. They are going forward with him and whenever Romo returns, they will address that when it comes."
Signal-callers trying to Wally Pipp Romo haven't faired well in the past.
None of those replacements have it as good as Prescott. The Cowboys boast the NFL's top offensive line heading into the season, a potentially deadly, yard-churning running game behind Elliott and Alfred Morris, a go-to target in Dez Bryant and everyone's favorite security blanket in tight end Jason Witten.
Prescott won't be facing the bland schemes he diced up in the preseason when the Cowboys kick off Sunday versus the New York Giants. If the rookie continues to dazzle for the first six weeks of the season against defenses gearing up to dismantle him, the Cowboys will keep the rookie in the saddle.
