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Cowboys will seek veteran backup to Dak Prescott, so who makes sense?

The Dallas Cowboys say they’ll look for veteran quarterback help to back up Dak Prescott while Tony Romo is out.

Prescott will be a Week 1 starter after Romo was knocked out of the Cowboys’ preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks with a broken bone in his back. It’s not known how much time Romo will miss, but estimates say it could be half the season. The Cowboys have yet to decide whether to place Romo on injured reserve, with the option to bring him back later in the season.

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But either way, help is needed. The Cowboys have only one other healthy QB — Jameill Showers, who spent last season on the Cowboys’ practice squad — on the roster. Kellen Moore, who replaced Romo down the stretch last season, is on the roster but likely done for the season with a broken ankle.

So which quarterbacks might the Cowboys look at? Let us look at the limited options.

Could the Dallas Cowboys trade for someone such as the New York Jets' Geno Smith? (AP)
Could the Dallas Cowboys trade for someone such as the New York Jets’ Geno Smith? (AP)

The New York Jets admit to having had trade conversations with other teams, perhaps about Geno Smith or Bryce Petty. It would make sense that the Cowboys would kick those tires, but it would be interesting to see how they might play it. The Jets have four quarterbacks on the roster and are almost beholden to hang onto Christian Hackenberg seeing as how he was a second-round pick. Would they keep four QBs on the Week 1 roster? Not likely.

Mark Sanchez suddenly is a realistic option for the Cowboys given that the Denver Broncos plan to start Trevor Siemian and Sanchez’s time there suddenly seems very limited. His salary is relatively affordable of the Broncos can try to get something for him, but the most likely option is that he’d be released. That would give the Cowboys a more attractive option.

What about the Kansas City Chiefs? Eat your heart out, Jets — the Chiefs have five quarterbacks on their roster and might have to make a call on two of them. It’s clear that Alex Smith is No. 1 and Nick Foles, since joining the team, has quickly moved up to No. 2. So two of the final three — Aaron Murray, Tyler Bray and 2016 fifth-rounder Kevin Hogan — are likely to move on before the final cutdown. Bray has been hurt but has promise and has a Cowboys tie-in: Receivers coach Derek Dooley coached Bray at Tennessee from 2010 to 2012, ringing up a 69-28 TD-INT ratio there.

The Chiefs appeared to be showcasing Murray in Saturday’s preseason game against the Chicago Bears, but his limited production and penchant for fumbling (four in the past two games) might make it hard to get much if anything in return. Hogan has received minimal snaps and is no guarantee to make the roster.

For now, we’re not going to consider Colin Kaepernick an option in Dallas. Outside of his controversial statement on race and the national anthem, he might not be considered an ideal fit in the Cowboys’ system. Plus, even if he were to come free, Kaepernick would bring an awful lot of attention to a team on which he might not even see the field.

Other veteran options include Austin Davis, who was just cut by the Cleveland Browns; Matt Barkley, who might not make the Arizona Cardinals’ roster; Dustin Vaughan, a former Cowboys practice squadder who is fighting for a spot with the Pittsburgh Steelers; and the Detroit Lions’ Dan Orlovsky, who briefly overlapped with Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan in Detroit.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!