Joe Milton has gone through a range of emotions in the past couple of days despite an impressive preseason. First, the Dallas Cowboys waived him on August 31, then re-signed him on September 2. For the franchise quarterback, Dak Prescott, this move adds depth to the QB room, but at the same time, he thinks the same cannot be said for Milton.
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“So, 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.”
In his three preseason games this season, Milton threw three passing touchdowns for 407 yards. That is more touchdowns than he’s thrown in his two-year NFL career and almost as many passing yards as well.
“It means a lot. Just me, personally, I thought he would’ve been picked up in the waivers or whatever it is. Fortunate for us, we got a hell of a player back and a guy that makes our room better, a guy that makes our team better,” Prescott said, per Cowboys insider Jon Machota on X. “His spirit, just the way that he approaches the day, he’s a hell of a dude, he’s a hell of a competitor, one of the best at throwing the ball, honestly, and just his talent. Just the way he’s jumped and progressed from year to year, I know what’s ahead of him.”
Joe Milton 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.
He immediately became QB Dak Prescott’s backup and even contributed in four games where he threw for 183 yards while posting a touchdown.
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.
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.
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.
“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.”
Despite performing well in the offseason, Joe Milton missed a slot on the 53-man roster of the Dallas Cowboys, which franchise quarterback Dak Prescott believes is a good enough reason for Milton to be disappointed.