Dak Prescott Comments on Tony Romo's Statement About Cowboys' QB Situation

The Dallas Cowboys have turned what could have been an ugly quarterback situation into a clean transfer of power from a veteran to a rookie.

After Tony Romo conceded the starting role Tuesday, Dak Prescott thanked his predecessor for the support Wednesday, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

"He's been a great leader, a great model for me to look up to and watch every day," the rookie said. "It was an emotional statement for him to say that, but I'm not surprised. I know how much he cares about this game, how much it means to him, how much he puts into it every day, how much this team means to him."

The Cowboys drafted Prescott in the fourth round of the 2016 draft to potentially take over down the line, but the rookie was thrust into the starting role after a preseason back injury knocked the 36-year-old Romo out for an extended period of time.

Prescott responded by leading the Cowboys to an 8-1 start to the season while posting a 106.2 quarterback rating, including 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He also has four rushing scores.

"He's earned the right to be our quarterback," Romo said Tuesday, per Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today. "As hard as that is for me to say, he's earned that right. He's guided our team to an 8-1 record, and that's hard to do. ... I'm not gonna allow this situation to negatively affect Dak or this football team by becoming a constant distraction."

Romo has been an effective passer throughout his career, leading Dallas to a 15-4 record as a starter over his last two seasons. He led the NFL with a 113.2 quarterback rating over 15 starts in 2014. With just four starts over the last two years, however, his health remains a major issue.

It appears this is now Prescott's team for at least the rest of the season. Knowing he can lean on his veteran teammate for support and not worry about losing his job should only help going forward.