Sometimes, the obvious choice isn’t the one that gets made. And for the Dallas Cowboys, that was the case during roster cuts. In a heated battle for QB2, the team faced a choice between new addition Sam Howell and Joe Milton III. But instead of keeping both on the team and deciding the pecking order, the team’s latest move has confused NFL fans and legends alike!
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The Cowboys cut Milton from the 53-man roster. Even after a dominant preseason showing, Milton was brutally cut from the team, and legendary All-Pro receiver Roddy White wasn’t any of it. And while White has publicly called out the decision, this might be one of the best decisions the Cowboys have made while deciding the final roster.
“How the h— Joe Milton get cut. He literally dominated the whole preseason,” the former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver wrote on X on Monday. “Sam Howell is trash like dumpster trash.”
The 26-year-old Milton arrived in Dallas last year via a trade with the New England Patriots. He played in four games, recording 183 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Milton then turned heads during the 2026 preseason, completing 29 of 43 attempts for 378 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Milton had big moments in the game too, firing 50+ yard passes. But the Cowboys’ decision goes beyond the preseason.
But Howell managed to hold his own, with 314 passing yards and three touchdowns. In the final game, he added a massive 52-yard completion to Jordan Hudson. On the first play of the fourth quarter, he followed it with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Hudson and then led a 12-play, 67-yard drive capped by Mitch Van Voren’s 21-yard touchdown. Howell added the two-point conversion himself, tying the game.
On paper, both quarterbacks were equally matched. So why did the Cowboys cut Milton and not Howell? After all, White wasn’t the only player rooting for the QB. Former cornerback Asante Samuel, White’s teammate from their days in the Atlanta Falcons, believed Milton could make it big with the team.
“The Dallas Cowboys are gonna end up winning the NFC East. It’s just my prediction. 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,” Samuel shared on his podcast, Say What Needs to be Said. “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.”
The Cowboys had a very good reason for cutting Milton. For starters, Howell is a much more experienced quarterback. The QB came up at the Washington Commanders, where he competed with Jacoby Brissett for a starting spot. By the end of his second season, he was ranked 12th in the NFL for passing yards (3,946).
While he faced injury setbacks and moved from team to team, Howell remained a solid backup option. But it’s not just his stats that put Milton on the waiver list. While the Cowboys had a three-QB plan, they were forced to cut one QB to sign Emari Demercado. The running back remains a good pass-blocking option, one that most expected the Chiefs to keep on their roster. Passing on Demercado could have been a missed opportunity for the Cowboys. And it was a well-thought-out decision.
Between Howard and Milton, the former would have been immediately snapped up from the waiver list. But with Milton, there’s a good chance that he reverts back to the Cowboys and the team can sign him to the practice squad. If that happens, the Cowboys still have a backup QB in case both Prescott and Howell battle injuries.
More importantly, had the Cowboys chosen Howell as the player who would be cut, they faced a financial burden. Howell had a $2.5 million guaranteed contract. In case they chose the route of releasing the quarterback, they would still owe him his $2 million base salary. Even by placing him on the practice squad, the salary obligation would still apply because his money was guaranteed.
That’s what the Star Telegram’s Nick Harris believed too. “I’m chalking up the timing of the Joe Milton III release to roster/waiver strategy,” he wrote on X. “Release him on Sunday, much higher chance he gets claimed. Release him today, a lot of teams have their QB situations figured out, making it more likely he clears waivers. Just my take.”
Per ESPN, the Cowboys explored trade opportunities for Milton before Sunday’s 53-man roster deadline. Should he clear waivers, Dallas could re-sign him to the practice squad, but it remains uncertain whether the team will pursue that option.