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The back injury that didn't seem to be much of a concern when Romo left Thursday's contest against the Seattle Seahawks is much worse than originally believed.
David Helman of the Cowboys' official site reported Romo had an MRI Friday that revealed a broken bone in his back. The organization didn't provide a timetable for his return, and head coach Jason Garrett said the situation is "day-to-day," per Helman. Garrett won't even rule out the possibility of the veteran being available for Week 1 against the New York Giants, according to CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora.
Those outside of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' purview painted a far different picture, however.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported the injury would take six to 10 weeks to heal. The MMQB's Peter King provided a potential return date of Oct. 30 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter. Another inevitable injury occurred.
Romo has been a walking MASH unit over the last three seasons. The 36-year-old signal-caller required season-ending back surgery in 2013, and he dealt with a rib injury. In 2014, Romo battled through two transverse fractures. Last season, he dealt with collarbone issues.
His resiliency is admirable, but a football player's shelf life is finite. At Romo's age, he's much closer to the end than the beginning. When an opportunity presents itself to transition to a quality prospect at the game's most important position, an organization needs to take advantage.
A permanent move to Prescott can be made with both short- and long-term intentions.
Even without Romo, the Cowboys can compete in the NFC East. It may be a more difficult road without a veteran presence behind center, but the division is wide-open after the Washington Commanders captured it with just a 9-7 record last season.
The Philadelphia Eagles are expected to take another step backward as they transition under head coach Doug Pederson. And the New York Giants are talented, but they haven't had a winning record since 2012.
Also, a shift to Prescott is a smart financial decision for the organization. Romo's contract became an albatross the moment he signed the six-year, $108 million pact in 2013. As of next year, the Cowboys can get out of the deal and save $5.1 million of cap space, according to Spotrac.com.
Yes, an injury forced Dallas' hand, but this shift wouldn't require much of a transition.
The two-time Conerly Trophy winner—given to the best college football player in Mississippi—has been stellar throughout the preseason. Through his first two contests, Prescott owned a perfect passer rating and accounted for more touchdowns (four passing, two rushing) than he threw incomplete passes (five).
His performance during the team's "dress rehearsal" against the Seahawks wasn't perfect, yet it remained impressive. The rookie completed 17 of 23 passes for 116 yards and another touchdown.
It wasn't the most memorable quarterback performance against the Seahawks' Legion of Boom defense, but Jones found it encouraging, per ESPN.com's Todd Archer:
I'm just amazed at the numbers of snaps and the quality snaps, and against the varied situations that he's getting it against. He got it in two-minute there right before the half. It's just amazing that he's going to get to come in here and finish up here next week and get those kinds of snaps. I said the other day he's going to end up with more snaps than Romo had his entire play time before he was the starting quarterback. By any rational thinking he should be getting better every situation, and so we've got him on what I have thought would've been two or three times as many snaps over a two, three-year period of ideal situations for a young quarterback getting in position to be a player.
Of course, Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard didn't attack the rookie quarterback with regular-season gusto and inventiveness. But Prescott has shown everything a team would want to see during his first preseason. He outplayed the No. 1 overall pick, the Los Angeles Rams' Jared Goff, and every other quarterback selected in his draft class.
Do these performances in glorified scrimmages result in regular-season success? No. But they provide reasons for optimism.
Prescott remained unflappable in the pocket. He surveyed the field better than some veteran quarterbacks who also came out of collegiate spread offenses. He's delivered the ball with touch and accuracy—two areas in which he greatly improved throughout his time at Mississippi State.
More importantly, most of the ingredients are there for Prescott to excel as a starter.
The Cowboys own the league's best offensive line. It's not just dominant in one area; the boys up front excel as both run- and pass-blockers. The group is big, athletic and talented.
Prescott also won't have to carry the load. Ezekiel Elliott, the fourth overall pick in this year's draft, will be the team's workhorse. The offense can remain balanced with a strong running attack, which should create space in the passing game, particularly with the use of play action.
Finally, Dallas' targets will make any quarterback look better than they really are. For example, Jason Witten is a potential Hall of Fame tight end. He's been Romo's security blanket for years. He can serve in the same role with Prescott leading the way. The veteran target already showed what he can do against Seattle when he snatched an underthrown pass for a touchdown.
"I told him, 'I love you, thank you for catching that,'" Prescott said, per Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram. "I needed that."
Witten isn't the only talented target on the Cowboys roster. Dez Bryant remains one of the game's best receivers when healthy...and he's healthy. Terrance Williams provides a vertical threat. And Cole Beasley is a shifty target out of the slot.
In addition, the Cowboys didn't have to look any further than the other side of the field in Week 3 to realize Prescott doesn't need to be a high draft pick to be successful early in his career.
Russell Wilson earned his spot as the Seahawks' starter with a tremendous preseason, relied heavily on Marshawn Lynch early in his career and continued to improve with each week.
Like Wilson, Prescott adds another dimension to his team's offense. Romo has always been a mobile quarterback, but he's never been a dynamic runner, especially the last few seasons. Garrett can add a new page to his playbook by using Prescott's athleticism within the structure of the scheme with zone reads and pocket movement.
He can let the young signal-caller get out and make plays—as long as he protects his body when he runs.
Growing pains are inevitable, but the rookie can create and do enough to keep Dallas' offense rolling, as CBS Sports' Dane Brugler noted:
The missing link in the Prescott-Wilson comparison is Dallas doesn't claim a shutdown defense. Whether it was Wilson or even Ben Roethlisberger, being able to rely on a strong run game is only part of the equation. Their defenses could shut down opponents if needed. The Cowboys don't have the same luxury. Otherwise, Prescott can't be put into a better situation.
As T.H. White wrote in The Once and Future King, "It is good to put your life in other people's hands."
Dallas should take heed and make Prescott its present and future starting quarterback.
Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.
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