Tony Romo acknowledged today that he is now the Cowboys’ second-string quarterback, and that Dak Prescott has earned the position ahead of Romo on the depth chart.

“Dak Prescott, and what he’s done, he’s earned the right to be our quarterback,” Romo said in a prepared statement. “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. If you think for a second I don’t want to be out there, then you probably never felt the pure ecstasy of competing and winning. That hasn’t left me. In fact, it may burn now more than ever.”

Dak Prescott owners can breathe a little easier, but the Cowboys may still turn to Romo if the rookie hits a rough patch.

Sources: When Tony Romo dresses in uniform and available to play for Cowboys has moved from medical decision to coaching decision.

Related players: Dak Prescott

It appears that the Cowboys plan to continue with Prescott as the starter as long as the team is winning and he's playing well. He's 3rd in QBR behind Tom Brady and Matt Ryan.

Jerry Jones did everyone the favor of ruling Tony Romo out well before the Cowboys traveled to Cleveland last week. Don’t expect the same courtesy this time around.

Fresh off his team’s 35-10 beating of the Browns, the Cowboys’ owner/general manager held his customary interview session with reporters. But when questions turned toward the familiar subject of Romo’s availability, Jones was much more evasive than he was a week ago.

“Unlike last week, I wouldn’t speculate,” he said through a smile.

Related players: Dak Prescott

There wasn't a lot of specifics about Romo as you might imagine, other than he's getting stronger. But it's interesting he's preparing for an increased workload. It's hard to imagine the team going back to Romo after Prescott's great start.