Extra Points: Romo, Cousins, Giants, Browns

It’s possible rookie sensation Dak Prescott has permanently taken Tony Romo‘s job as the Cowboys’ No. 1 quarterback, but the injured veteran still expects to start when he’s healthy enough. At the same time, he’s pleased with Prescott’s success. “Tony wants the organization to be left in good hands when he’s finished playing, and he can see that Dak is going to be that guy,” one of Romo’s friends told Jason King of Bleacher Report. “They’ve found his successor, and Tony is happy about that.” Romo returned to practice last week from the broken bone he suffered in his back during the Cowboys’ penultimate preseason game on Aug. 25. That injury opened the door for Prescott, who has helped the Cowboys to an NFC-best 6-1 start while posting superb numbers.

More from around the NFL:

• The Redskins are going to face a difficult offseason decision regarding impending free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins, opines Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com. After Cousins went on a second-half tear last year to lead the Redskins to an NFC title, the team placed the $19.95MM franchise tag on him. So far, though, the 28-year-old has been closer to a league-average signal-caller than an elite one this season, argues Barnwell. That’s not necessarily a negative if it comes at a reasonable cost, but Cousins’ already lofty price tag will rise to $23.9MM if the Redskins franchise him again in 2017. Nevertheless, in the event Washington is unable to reach a deal with Cousins by the time free agency opens, it might have to tag him for a second straight year. Otherwise, given what the relatively unproven Brock Osweiler received as a free agent last winter, Cousins could command in the neighborhood of $45MM in guarantees on the open market, Barnwell suggests.
• The Giants have totaled a paltry nine sacks through seven games this year despite pouring serious money into their defensive line during the offseason. No NFC team has taken down opposing quarterbacks fewer times than the Giants, but head coach Ben McAdoo emphasized Friday that he’s unconcerned (per Brian Heyman of Newsday). “We say it all the time: Stats are for losers. We need to make the quarterback uncomfortable,” said McAdoo. “We need to make him move, make him chatter his feet, make him early or late with the throws. Numbers are numbers.” Here’s a stat McAdoo might like better: The Giants’ defense ranks seventh in the NFL in QB hurries (53), which indicates the team’s rushers have been in enemy passers’ faces quite often.
• Although the Browns are reportedly dragging their feet on long-term contract negotiations with newly acquired linebacker Jamie Collins, defensive coordinator Ray Horton raved about the former Patriot on Friday. “Very athletic, very smart, dynamic,” said Horton (via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com). “We’re going to ask a lot of him and obviously see what he can handle, but so far, I have been really impressed with his smarts and his savvy and athleticism on the field and really off the field, too, of just learning something and not hesitating to translate it in his mind.” The Patriots started taking Collins off the field on rushing downs, notes Cabot, but that won’t be the case in Cleveland. Horton expects to use the 2015 Pro Bowler as both an inside and outside linebacker. That should benefit Collins, who will secure a substantial raise – whether it’s from Cleveland or another team – in the coming months.