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Jerry Jones looking to evaluate quarterbacks entering draft

Danny Moloshok / Reuters

Tony Romo is coming off the best statistical campaign of his career, but the Dallas Cowboys may be looking for his successor. 

Romo will be 35 next fall, entering his 12th NFL season and last season led the Cowboys to their first playoff appearance in five years. 

However, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the team should start planning ahead for Romo's replacement. 

"We do have to look to the future relative to quarterback," Jones said to FOX Sports' David Helman. "It's starting a time frame where a guy could come in and be a good backup."

"Look at how Romo evolved into the guy he is today," he said. "He did a little time with the clipboard."

It doesn't appear that the Cowboys are in a rush to find Romo's replacement. Buoyed by the league's best offensive line, and a bonafide superstar wide receiver in Dez Bryant, Romo may be reaching his career apex later than most. 

If Dallas were to select a quarterback in the first round, he certainly wouldn't supplant Romo as the starter immediately. 

As a legitimate playoff contender and a sleeper to contend for the Super Bowl, Jones ought to focus on maximizing the potential of the team's current core. Dallas' upstart defense was one of the most surprising stories of the 2014 season, and it would be better suited to draft another wide receiver or high-end inside linebacker. 

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said the team may select the best player available, citing All-Pro guard Zack Martin as an example. Martin was selected in the first round last year and proved to be one of the best players at his position immediately. 

"For us to, at that point -- the 16th pick of the first round -- to have a guy that we regarded as the best player on the board --€“ at a position that might not have been our No. 1 need --€“ and to draft Zack Martin, I thought that was a really good decision by our team," Garrett said. 

With Romo at the top of his game, and the NFC East seemingly in a state of disarray, the Cowboys' succession plan may not be immediate, but Jones isn't hesitant to make moves on draft day. 

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