Cowboys exec opens door for Dak Prescott to pull a Tom Brady on Tony Romo

The Dallas Cowboys are going to roll into the regular season not with Tony Romo under center, but instead, it’ll be rookie Dak Prescott taking the team’s first snap of 2016. Romo, of course, suffered a broken bone in his back during the team’s third preseason game – an injury that will reportedly sideline him for six to 10 weeks.

As a result, the Cowboys will be forced to start a rookie at quarterback and running back. It will give fans a glimpse at the future in Dallas, but Romo’s injury could also derail the team’s season. Romo and the coaching staff have vowed that the 36-year-old quarterback will play again this year, but nothing is certain.

Not even Stephen Jones can guarantee that will happen, and he’s reminding everyone of the situation that ended Drew Bledsoe’s run in New England.

You probably remember that in 2001, Tom Brady stepped in for an injured Bledsoe, who was hospitalized for internal bleeding. Brady never gave the job back to Bledsoe, and the rest is history.

As Jones said, it’s hard to imagine Prescott playing so well that it leads the Cowboys to stick with him over the greatest statistical quarterback in franchise history. However, there are a lot of unknowns surrounding the situation right now – Romo’s health, Prescott’s play, Dez Bryant’s concussion, Tyron Smith’s lingering stinger.

There’s no doubt that the Cowboys are extremely high on the rookie, though. So much so that they wouldn’t even consider trading him for Paxton Lynch – the guy they attempted to move up for on draft night.

In order for Dallas to have success this season, the defense and the run game will need to be exceptional. Prescott can’t carry this team like Romo has in the past, but the supporting cast is there for him to win with.