The Dallas Cowboys made one of the more surprising moves as all 32 NFL teams trimmed their rosters to 53 men, waiving quarterback Joe Milton III. After claiming versatile veteran running back Emari Demarcado off waivers, the Cowboys needed to open up a roster spot, and Milton became the odd man out, with Sam Howell having won the backup job behind Dak Prescott. Dallas now heads into Week 1 with just two quarterbacks on the active roster, as Milton was added to the practice squad.
After the team waived Milton on Monday, rival teams could have swooped in to claim him. Yet surprisingly, nobody did, allowing the Cowboys to bring him back to their practice squad. "When he informed me he's coming back, I was elated," head coach Brian Schottenheimer said of re-signing Milton to the practice squad.
"This is a guy that's worked his butt off to get where he is, developed the way he's developed. When you're waived — I've been fired many times — you're in shock a little bit. Then you step back, and you didn't see it coming, but you start figuring out the positives and negatives of the situation.
"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. Quarterback rooms around the league are pretty crowded right now, but he's certainly talented enough to get claimed. It's our good fortune that he wasn't." More news: Bill Belichick’s Son Faces Alarming Allegations in Bombshell UNC Investigation More news: Ravens GM Drops Telling Comment on Lamar Jackson’s Future in Baltimore Milton entered the preseason competing with Howell for the backup job.
At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, he has the prototypical size of an NFL quarterback and generational arm talent, earning the nickname "Bazooka Joe." What makes the decision to waive him even more surprising is that he put together a strong preseason too. Across three games, Milton completed 29 of 43 passes (67.4%) for 378 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions, adding a rushing touchdown as well. Howell, meanwhile, went 27 of 40 (67.5%) for 314 yards and three touchdowns, throwing one interception and also adding a rushing score.
While Milton may still have the higher long-term upside, Howell outperformed him in the preseason finale against New Orleans, and Schottenheimer clearly saw an advantage in going with the more proven option under center. Howell has 18 NFL starts under his belt across two seasons in Washington, while Milton has yet to start a regular-season game at the professional level. For now, the gamble has paid off for Dallas — Milton stays in the building and can continue to develop on the practice squad in 2026.
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