Scouts note Dak Prescott has something Tony Romo doesn't: Fresh legs to make plays

For all the Dallas Cowboys lose with quarterback Tony Romo sidelined — again — don’t overlook one dimension their rookie backup adds to the offense: Dak Prescott can run.

That was one of the themes that emerged in conversations with a handful of high-ranking NFL scouts about Saturday’s news that Romo has a broken bone in his back that will sideline him for at least the start of the season.

Romo’s ability to extend plays with his feet has always been a strength. But Cowboys coaches aren’t going to expose the 36-year-old schematically more than they need to, especially after the injuries that have hit him the past few years. (He got hurt Thursday night while trying to slide after scrambling on a designed pass play.)

Dak Prescott gives Cowboys far better chance to survive until Tony Romo's return

Prescott, who's passed for five TDs this preseason and run for two more, progressed as a passer in his last year at Mississippi State and has impressed scouts in preseason action, too, showing great composure for a young quarterback. The word out of the school was Prescott possessed excellent leadership ability and intangibles, which figure to help him compensate early in his pro career.

Still, Prescott is green. He hasn’t faced defenses that are game-planning specifically for him. And just the threat of effective zone read and other designed runs can help any quarterback, messing with the defense’s numbers up front and creating space to exploit on the back end against simple coverages.

Prescott, 23, figures to see a lot of favorable passing looks early regardless, given the presence of an elite offensive line and a young stud runner in Ezekiel Elliott who more than ever looks like the focal point of the offense. The read game with Elliott and Prescott is another weapon that can help Dallas survive.

Cowboys announce Tony Romo has broken bone in back but 'confident' he'll play in 2016

The Cowboys aren’t better off without Romo, who probably played his best football in 2014, while fighting through another back injury, before two collarbone fractures ruined last season.

Romo has proven he can win inside and outside the pocket. He has proven capable of putting an NFL team on his back. Prescott hasn’t done any of that yet. But there are things Prescott can do with his legs that Romo can’t, or at least shouldn’t at this stage, and the Cowboys surely are already analyzing how to use that to their advantage.

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Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero

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