FREMONT, Calif. -- There's a strong feeling that the Cowboys may only go with two quarterbacks when the regular season begins.

Tony Romo and Kyle Orton will be headed to East Rutherford, N.J., for the season opener against the New York Giants on Sept. 5. Whether or not the Cowboys will have a third quarterback on the roster is uncertain.

Stephen McGee and Rudy Carpenter are battling for the No. 3 spot, it seems. McGee is getting more snaps than Carpenter in practice. Yet in the Blue and White scrimmage, it was Carpenter who led the offense to a score and McGee didn't.

Carpenter might get a chance to showcase what he can do during Monday night's preseason opener against the Oakland Raiders. It's expected Romo and Orton will play the first half, with McGee and Carpenter perhaps sharing the second half.

"For me, personally, I try not to worry about that stuff," Carpenter said. "I just try to worry about doing my job, executing the offense and communication with the guys I'm in the huddle with. We've got to move the chains."

McGee has a better arm and command of the offense than Carpenter, but McGee doesn't challenge the defense downfield with deep throws. He rather dump it off to a running back or tight end. It seems McGee has happy feet, but he's practicing with the third- and fourth-team offenses, so you might give him a pass.

Carpenter takes more chances downfield, which allows him to move the ball.

"I've played a lot of football, even though I haven't played in a lot of real games in the NFL," said Carpenter, who has played with Tampa Bay and two stints with the Cowboys. "I've started 44 games in college (Arizona State) which is a lot. I've played in every preseason game that I've been a part of and started a couple of preseason games. So at the end of the day, it's route combinations and executing the offense, moving the football and not turning it over. I try not to think about (becoming the No. 3 quarterback) and try and do my job."