The Improbable Rise of Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott came out of nowhere to challenge Tony Romo for his job. Here’s why the scouts whiffed and how the Cowboys stumbled onto their next franchise star.

- Ian O'Connor and Adam Schefter

Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau Field while breaking Brady’s record of 162 consecutive passes without an interception to start a career. (Prescott’s streak ended at 176.) Through six games, Prescott had the NFL’s best QBR (84.1).

Romo went down in the preseason with a compression fracture in his back, and with his backup, Kellen Moore, already out with a broken ankle, Prescott was suddenly the Cowboys’ only viable option for one of the most coveted jobs in American sports. Playing quarterback for the Cowboys is today’s NFL equivalent of playing center field for yesterday’s New York Yankees. As the 36-year-old Romo rehabbed his way back, the 23-year-old Prescott surprised old detractors and supporters  alike by inspiring a Texas-sized quarterback controversy to match the awkward dance Tom Landry did with Roger Staubach and Craig Morton in the early 1970s. Staubach ultimately emerged the winner of that in-house competition, and now he’s hinting at a personal preference in the current Dallas debate, calling Prescott “a wonderful quarterback for the future” while allowing that the rookie could be wonderful in Romo’s present too.

“You can tell that the players respect the heck out of him and that he’s already a leader,” Staubach says.

“He is amazing at making decisions when … there’s a difficult situation there and he needs to dump the ball off. He also can throw to lead a receiver. Sometimes he throws the ball a little low, and I don’t know if it’s intentional, but he’s right on the money in allowing his receivers to make tough catches.”