One NFL writer predicts a possible stunning conclusion to Tony Romo's Cowboys career

Looks like the Cowboys quarterback situation won't be changing anytime soon.

There's still no end in sight to the Dak Prescott-Tony Romo saga. But could it really end with the franchise quarterback released to the open market? That may be a possibility, according to Tim Cowlishaw, of the Dallas Morning News.

All indications are that the timetable for his return from a fractured bone in his back is murky, at best. Romo's initial eight-week recovery period is just about here, and with quite possibly the Cowboys' biggest game of the season against the Eagles just around the corner on October 30, mum's been the word on his status.

According to Cowlishaw, he's been around quarterback quandaries before in Dallas, but this is one has a pretty cut and dried solution.

"The Cowboys have been through many of these things. I was around right after the White-Hogeboom fallout," Cowlishaw says. "This one seems fairly clear to most of us. If the team is playing this well and Prescott continues to play at a high level, you don't make a change."

And, Cowlishaw suggests, that could ultimately pave the way for Romo's exit out of Dallas—-which is more likely to end with this being released than traded.

"I think [trading Romo] will be difficult. It's very expensive to do next spring, for one. Also he would have to play this year to create a market for himself. He certainly doesn't have one now. But it costs the team a lot and you have to factor in what you're getting in return and that cost. So I think Romo getting released in 2017 is more more likely than Romo being traded."

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Head coach Jason Garrett, who earlier in the season was adamant about Romo returning to the starting lineup once healthy enough, now seems to be dragging his feet in light of Prescott's stellar play, saying recently, "We're going to take Tony's situation day by day and hopefully he'll continue to progress."

For his part, Romo hasn't practiced this week and it's unknown at this point if he'll be ready to practice when the Cowboys return from the bye week next week and start preparing for Philly. If he doesn't return to practice by then, coming back the following week against Cleveland would be doubtful.

In short, this whole quarterback controversy thing could be with us for a while.