The Dallas Cowboys have a very fortunate problem on their hands. Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has taken the league by storm, leading his Cowboys to an early 5-1 record, and first place in a tough NFC East division.

Along with the help of his rookie running back and back field partner Ezekiel Elliott, who currently leads the NFL in rushing through seven weeks with 703 yards on the ground, the dynamic rookie duo are both early candidates for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Despite this early success however, the Cowboys, who currently have week 7 off because of their bye week, have a lot of time to think about who their leader at quarterback should be going forward.

On one hand, their franchise leader in total passing yards and passing touchdowns, Tony Romo, has a broken bone in his back, which he suffered in the preseason. On the other hand, once previously thought to be a temporary replacement for Romo, Prescott has captured the hearts of Cowboy fans everywhere.

Prescott’s success through six games has football fans all across the country thinking the same thing: Is he deserving enough to start over Tony Romo?

From a statistical standpoint, neither option under center is a bad one. Both Prescott and Romo post very high completion percentages. In 2014, Romo’s last fully healthy season, he posted a career best 69.9 completion percentage, best in the NFL that year. Through his first six career games, Prescott has had four games in which his completion percentage was 70 percent or higher, insane numbers for a fourth round rookie quarterback.

In terms of Quarterback Rating (QBR), a stat which accounts for every aspect of the game the quarterback contributes to ranking from 0-100, both Prescott and Romo boast exceptional ratings. Romo’s MVP caliber year in 2014 saw him put up a total QBR of 83.6, another category in which he led all quarterbacks in that year. Prescott’s numbers lineup closely to Romo’s, as his total QBR of 82.9 is first in the NFL through seven weeks of football.

While the stats for both QBs are almost identical, Prescott provides a unique trait that can’t be taught. His ability to control the huddle from a mental standpoint and instill a confident mindset in his teammates on offense and defense is a rare characteristic to find in most QBs, let alone a rookie. His success so far this season has created a bubble of confidence for himself, and his teammates towards him. The players in the locker room now have a leader to focus their attention to, something that Romo has never been able to accomplish.

This leadership Prescott provides transfers over to the field, where his teammates trust his ability and  decision making. The young offensive core, which includes WR Brice Butler, have played most of their career snaps with Prescott at the helm. Prescott and Butler have built a chemistry and have connected on two touchdown passes this year. The benching of Prescott could not only affect this on field chemistry but the vital locker room intangibles as well.

Regardless of stats and locker room leadership, the eye test for both QBs can really tell the story about who deserves the start. As a rookie, Prescott has looked extremely poised while under pressure, only throwing one interception on the year. This first interception came six weeks into the season, a true testament of his composure.

Although Romo has been known to improvise and make a broken play into something spectacular, his high risk/high reward play style could hurt the Cowboys in the long run. These risky plays could either lead to a long touchdown catch, or an interception going the other way. Prescott has been efficient this year because of his intelligence to not make a risky play, but the right play.

It may not be very obvious to the Dallas Cowboys fan base right now, but Prescott has been helping the defense out, due to the lack of turnovers and long drives he and the Dallas offense put together. These long drives allow a mediocre Cowboys defense to be well rested up and play against a most likely impatient opposing offense that has been longing to get the ball back. Helping teammates on both sides of the ball is rare from a rookie and something that Romo has never been able to accomplish because of his play style.

Prescott, is of course, only a rookie. He still has much more to prove before he can be considered a dominant QB in the NFL. But if his first six career games have a case to make, Prescott truly is the quarterback of the future for the Dallas Cowboys.