A year ago, Joe Milton knew where he stood in Dallas. He was Dak Prescott’s backup, and there wasn’t much to discuss. That changed when the Dallas Cowboys brought in Sam Howell this offseason. By June, Brian Schottenheimer was calling their fight for QB2 a “fun competition,” and the two spent the preseason giving him more to think about. 

Both quarterbacks had legitimate cases. Howell had the experience. He had started 17 games for Washington in 2023 and entered Dallas with 18 career NFL starts. Milton had the upside, the arm talent, and the stronger preseason production. Ultimately, Dallas named Howell Prescott’s backup and waived Milton, using the roster spot created by the move to claim running back Emari Demercado from the Chiefs. Milton cleared waivers and returned to Dallas’ practice squad two days later, but Prescott believes his teammate didn’t simply shrug off what happened.

“For me, it’s just about being the right leader and the right brother for him, giving him everything he needs and make sure that he’s not pissed off,” Prescott revealed as per Jon Machota on X. “I mean, I’m sure he’s pissed off, but doesn’t allow that competition and him not getting what he wants to derail his overall growth and just the progression and the route trajectory that he’s ultimately on and just staying on that.

And Milton had good reason to be frustrated: Dallas had just chosen Howell for the job, even as the Cowboys had spent weeks insisting the competition was too close to call.

The numbers help explain why Milton’s release was such a difficult sell. Across three preseason games, he completed 29 of 43 attempts for 378 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also added 14 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. But Dallas wasn’t evaluating only what happened under the bright lights of preseason games. Schottenheimer said the staff went back through the “whole body of work,” including practices and the way each quarterback executed the offense. That gave Howell the edge.

His 18 career starts gave Dallas something Milton simply could not: a track record of running an NFL offense when the games counted. Schottenheimer also pointed to Howell’s field vision, progression through reads and grasp of the Cowboys’ system. The coach called the decision “very, very hard,” but ultimately felt Howell had been more consistent.

Milton had joined the Dallas Cowboys in 2025 after the New England Patriots traded him, along with a 2025 seventh-round pick, in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick.

Milton’s first season in Dallas was mostly spent watching Prescott, but he did get onto the field. He appeared in four games for the Cowboys in 2025, completing 15 of 24 passes for 183 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

Ahead of the 2026 season, with Sam Howell’s inclusion, Joe Milton fought for the QB2 spot. Even during the preseason games, only Howell and Milton came out to take the snaps. As per the stats, Milton performed slightly better than his competitor/teammate.

He completed 29-of-43 passes (67.4%), while Howell made 27 out of 40 attempts successful (67.5%). However, when it comes to touchdowns and yards covered, Milton took the edge, with three TDs and 378 passing yards over Howell’s two TDs and 220 passing yards.

The competition stayed close enough that Schottenheimer refused to declare a winner after two preseason games. After Milton’s strong showing against Arizona, nine completions on 13 attempts for 179 yards and two passing touchdowns, plus a rushing score, the coach still said both quarterbacks had done enough to merit the QB2 job.

Yet, the Dallas Cowboys waived Joe Milton and announced Sam Howell as the backup to Dak Prescott. Per reports, the decision was made because of an opportunity to claim running back Emari Demercado off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs, which they did on the same day.

The timing matters. Dallas had initially kept both quarterbacks on its 53-man roster. Once the Cowboys claimed Demercado from Kansas City, however, they needed a corresponding move. Milton became the one they were willing to expose to waivers. The Cowboys were not simply cutting ties with him; they were gambling that the quarterback they still wanted to develop would make it through the process.

That gamble was not taken blindly. Schottenheimer acknowledged that other teams had shown interest in Milton, saying, “There was definitely people interested in Joe.” He also admitted that Milton “should have choices” if he cleared waivers. Dallas therefore knew there was a real possibility that its developmental quarterback could walk out the door for nothing.

And there was a crucial difference between being interested in Milton and claiming him. A waiver claim would have put him directly on another team’s 53-man roster. No team made that commitment, so Milton cleared waivers on September 1 and became a free agent, free to choose between active-roster and practice-squad opportunities.

But shortly after, when Milton went untouched by the rest of the league, the Cowboys re-signed him to the practice squad to continue his development. And HC Brian Schottenheimer was quite happy with their decision and Milton’s willingness to rejoin the franchise.

Milton did not have to come back. That is the part that gives Prescott’s comments another layer. Once he cleared waivers, Dallas could ask him to return, but Milton could also look elsewhere. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that Milton had drawn interest from “most NFL teams” but wanted to stay in Dallas.

“For him to be able to stay here with the relationships he’s built, understanding our system, understanding the locker room, the other coaches, we were thrilled to get him back and he’s going to continue to get better.”

That choice also makes sense from Milton’s side. He already knows Schottenheimer’s offense, the terminology and the quarterback room. He spent his first season in Dallas learning behind Prescott and had just completed an offseason in the system. Leaving would have meant starting that process again somewhere else. Staying gives him continuity, and a chance to keep developing in the offense he already knows.

For Dallas, the appeal was just as straightforward. Schottenheimer said the Cowboys had already shown they could develop Milton and that having him in the system for another year would be “amazing.” The team therefore got the immediate security it wanted with Howell while keeping the younger, higher-upside quarterback in-house.

Howell, meanwhile, has not lost his job because Milton returned. He is still Prescott’s No. 2 quarterback. After winning the competition, Howell made that clear himself: “The work doesn’t stop now.” He said his focus was finding ways to help Dallas win, while continuing to learn the offense and work alongside Prescott.

Milton’s return is therefore not a second round of the QB2 battle, at least not yet. It is Dallas keeping a quarterback it still believes in, even after deciding he was not ready to be Prescott’s primary backup.