Cowboys Waive Joe Milton, Hand No. 2 QB Job to Sam Howell

Q: Did guaranteed money secretly force Dallas to keep Sam Howell over a rapidly improving Joe Milton?

No. The evidence suggests Sam Howell’s guaranteed money was a factor, but not a hidden or decisive one by itself. Dallas had already committed $2.5 million guaranteed to Howell on a one-year deal, and multiple reports noted that cutting him would not have erased that cost. That clearly gave Howell an economic edge in a close competition, especially for a team that “doesn’t make it a habit” of eating guaranteed money on a free-agent backup. But the reporting does not show that money alone forced the Cowboys’ hand. Football reasons also strongly favored Howell. He has 18 NFL starts, far more regular-season experience than Joe Milton, who has appeared in only a handful of games and has never started. For a team built to contend with Dak Prescott, that experience matters. Schottenheimer repeatedly described the competition as tight, with Howell slightly ahead at times in camp, and Howell finished the preseason well. Milton’s improvement was real. Coaches praised his command of the offense, better touch, improved reads, and confidence, and his preseason numbers were excellent. But Dallas also viewed him as less proven in a complex system and still waiver-eligible, which gave the club at least some chance to keep him in the organization via the practice squad. So the fairest reading is that guaranteed money helped protect Howell in a neck-and-neck battle, but Dallas also preferred his experience and roster flexibility made Milton the easier player to expose to waivers.

3 articles · Updated · Bleacher Report · Aug 31

Dallas released 26-year-old Joe Milton after keeping him on the initial 53-man roster, leaving Sam Howell as Dak Prescott's backup.
Howell won the role because the Cowboys viewed him as a better fit behind Prescott, despite coach Brian Schottenheimer recently praising Milton's progress.
Milton has appeared in five NFL games over two seasons, throwing for 424 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions after starting his career with New England.
Teams thin at quarterback depth — including Miami, Tennessee and the Jets — could now pursue Milton, whose arm strength and mobility still make him a viable backup option.