OXNARD, Calif. -- As Tuesday's practice ended, Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett and Dak Prescott stayed a little late to play catch.

The two casually threw the ball back and forth and the coach gave some reminders to the rookie quarterback, but Prescott said it was nothing about his ascension to the primary backup role Tuesday after Kellen Moore went down with a fractured right fibula.

"Me and Coach Garrett are just always consistently talking about things I can get better at in my game," Prescott said. "That was kind of something we talked about right there."

With Moore needing surgery, the Cowboys could look into the veteran free-agent market at players like Nick Foles, but the Cowboys selected Prescott in the fourth round of the draft with the idea of developing him.

That development might need to be accelerated.

Two padded practices into his career, Prescott wasn't into the big-picture view.

"All my focus is, come in and get better each and every day," Prescott said, surrounded by cameras, digital recorders and cell phones held by videographers and reporters. "I'll say that over and over again. I just want to come in and make sure the guys trust me, make sure they have my back and I have their back. So I can go in there, lead and they can follow me."

Before the injury, Moore took all of the second-team snaps through the first four days of work. Prescott split time with Jameill Showers, who spent most of last season on the practice squad.

The Cowboys got to know Prescott well. They met with him at the Senior Bowl and coached against him. They met with him again at the NFL scouting combine. He was one of their national visitors to Valley Ranch prior to the draft

There was a lot to like. He was the full-time starter his final two seasons at Mississippi State. He holds the school records for passing yards (9,376) and touchdown passes (70). He also ran for 40 touchdowns.

But that was out of the spread offense. He has had a big learning curve with the Cowboys' offense. He constantly asks questions to offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. Moore was a big help. So, too, has been starting quarterback Tony Romo.

"A lot more confident and comfortable," Prescott said. "I've got the playbook down. It took a couple months to get it under my belt, but I picked up on it pretty well. ... [Taking] it from the classroom and putting it on the field is where I've got to continue to get better."

Romo and veteran tight end Jason Witten like what they have seen from Prescott.

"His demeanor, his intelligence, he's a smart kid," Romo said. "He picks things up quickly. And for rookies, that's not always the easiest thing. So, I think that's been as impressive as anything, his ability to pick it up and then go do it. Sometimes you can say it, but then you got to see it and react as far as who is the [middle linebacker]. Reads are going to come. You're going to make mistakes. You're going to go through your reads faster each year."

Said Witten, "He's showing that this stage isn't too big for him. I've noticed that."

Prescott has found himself learning from Romo.

"I couldn't put into words, [but] a bunch," he said. "Just the way to carry myself on and off the field. The way he manages studying, the way he watches film and all the ways out here on the practice field, the things he does. He's been a great leader."

Going from the third team to the second team might not seem like a big leap until you understand Prescott would be one snap away from playing if something were to happen to Romo. Last season, Romo missed 12 games with a broken left collarbone. He missed one game in 2014 with two fractures in his back. He missed one game in 2013 with a herniated disk in his back.

Romo turned 36 in April. If they don't sign a veteran backup, the Cowboys would be in the hands of Prescott, who turned 23 last Friday, if Romo suffers an injury.

"Football is fun," Prescott said. "I really don't feel the pressure, I guess. I just want to come in, make myself better each and every day, like I said before. I think I feel pressure more from myself than anybody else. In any situation I want to be the best and I'm going to push myself until I get there."