The Dallas Cowboys have hit their quarterback room on the first day of waiver claims. To make room for the running back Emari Demercado and bolster Dak Prescott’s offense, the front office decided to release Prescott’s immediate backup. And ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news on the internet. 

“Source: Cowboys are releasing QB Joe Milton,” Schefter wrote in his X post. 

Milton made it to the 53-man roster on Sunday alongside Prescott and Sam Howell. Well, the Cowboys did intend to keep one extra quarterback on the roster. And ahead of Monday’s practice session, head coach Brian Schottenheimer claimed that the staff was still deciding on the backup role. But Howell will be at QB2 for the season opener against the New York Giants on September 13, 2026, at MetLife Stadium. 

“At the end of the day, we just feel like the competition’s not completely settled, and we need to work through that,” Schottenheimer said. “And it’s, we’re constantly ripping through numbers and video and film and, it just, at the time we’re not ready to make the decision.” 

The Cowboys acquired Milton from the New England Patriots in 2025 and aspired to develop the young quarterback. Acting as Prescott’s backup in the previous season, the 26-year-old quarterback appeared in four games and completed 15 passes (62.5%) for 183 yards and scored one touchdown. He further added 50 yards in five rushing attempts. But he improved himself in the preseason games. 

Milton recorded a 76.6 passing grade. It was the fourth-highest among the quarterbacks who attempted at least 40 passes in the preseason games. He even led the NFC in third-down passing through the preseason. He completed 29 passes for 378 yards and scored three touchdowns. It’s worth noting that he went through the preseason without facing a single interception. He seemed pretty comfortable operating from the pocket as he worked through his throws. The Cowboys were finally looking at a return on investment regarding Milton. That’s what surprised the fanbase when the front office suddenly decided to let him go. 

Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Jon Machota highlighted that Howell was the better player in the preseason finale even though Milton performed better in training camp and the first couple of preseason games. Howell tied the game against the New Orleans Saints after being down by 24-9. His two-point conversion run was the key moment that impressed many. It could have been the reason why the front office chose to keep Howell instead of Milton. 

Nevertheless, it seems like Howell’s experience won over Milton’s lack of the same. With four seasons spent in the NFL, Howell played 20 games and recorded 404 completions for 4,139 yards and scored 22 touchdowns. However, he got no action in 2025 as the QB2 for the Philadelphia Eagles. On top of that, Howell is one year younger than Milton. This makes it easier to mold him into Prescott’s successor. 

But there were a few analysts who believed that Milton had the power to surpass Prescott. Former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel was one of them. Taking to his talk show, he addressed the offensive threat that Milton brought for the Cowboys. 

NFL legend believed more in Joe Milton than Dak Prescott

“The Dallas Cowboys are gonna end up winning the NFC East. It’s just my prediction,” Samuel claimed on the Say What Needs To Be Said podcast. “I still expect them to be that good if Joe Milton does end up having to take over for some unfortunate reason, some unfortunate circumstances.

“That probably will increase the Cowboys’ chances of getting further in the playoffs. It’s just another way of saying Joe Milton III brings more to the table than Dak Prescott. That’s just the truth.”

Samuel further claimed that Milton looked like the biggest player on the offensive lineup during the huddles. Having the opposing defense tackle him was certainly going to be a Herculean task. The former cornerback believed that Milton was a worthy weapon and couldn’t fathom how many franchises refused to bring him in despite being in need of a good quarterback. 

The one thing that kept Milton from replacing Prescott as the primary quarterback, according to Samuel, was his inexperienced resume. Of course, Milton is leagues away from Prescott’s 3,184 completions for 35,989 yards and 243 touchdowns. 

For now, Milton needs to clear the waivers instead of moving to free agency. And if he does, he could return to Dallas. He’s yet to reach the status of a veteran.