The Dallas Cowboys will, for the second consecutive season, have to do without starting quarterback Tony Romo for an extended period of time. Romo fractured a vertebrae in his back and is expected to miss six-to-10 weeks, though coach Jason Garrett has yet to rule him out for the season opener against the New York Giants. (Romo has played through a broken back before.)

In the event he does miss time, Cowboys executive vice president and COO Stephen Jones confirmed what most had already suspected: fourth-round pick Dak Prescott will be the Cowboys starter for however long Romo sits.

"We look forward to Dak being our starting quarterback Week 1, which it looks like it's going to be the case if Tony can't go," Stephen said, per the Cowboys' official web site.

Prescott has certainly given the Cowboys reason to have confidence in his performance during his preseason appearances. In three games, he has completed 39 of 50 passes (78 percent) for 454 yards (9.1 per attempt), five touchdowns and no picks. That's a passer rating of 137.8, which is just ridiculously high. He's also taken seven carries for 53 yards (7.6 per attempt) and two more touchdowns. He's looked poised, accurate, and comfortable against the Rams, Dolphins, and Seahawks defenses, and has flashed good chemistry with Dez Bryant, Brice Butler, and Jason Witten.

Of course, it's only preseason, and things could change in a flash. There's also a reason Prescott was just a fourth-round pick and not a first-rounder. He's by no means a perfect prospect. But the Cowboys have to feel good about what they've seen so far.

They probably have less reason to feel good about what they have behind Prescott, though. Right now, the only other quarterback on the roster is Jameill Showers, a former Texas A&M backup that transferred to UTEP and spent most of last season on the Cowboys' practice squad while Dallas started the likes of Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel, and Kellen Moore. So, will the Cowboys look to add a veteran backup for Prescott between now and the start of the season?

"We'll just see. There's a lot of ways to acquire players," Jones said. "There's quarterbacks that are out there and don't have a home right now, and then there's quarterbacks that other teams have right now -- of course we can't talk about those players. We'll look at what our options are. It is something that we'll look at, in terms of looking at a veteran-type quarterback."

One guy that already volunteered his services before Prescott's breakout preseason is former Falcons, Eagles, Jets, and Steelers passer Michael Vick, who sent out this tweet after news of Romo's long-term injury broke:

We'll have to wait and see if the Cowboys go that particular route, but it seems fairly certain that they'll be giving someone a call in the next couple of weeks.