Last year, the Dallas Cowboys acquired quarterback Joe Milton III via trade to have a reliable backup behind Dak Prescott, who was returning from an injury. But even after spending a full season with the team, Milton’s role in Dallas still feels uncertain. In March, the Cowboys complicated the situation by signing QB Sam Howell. With two candidates now competing for the QB2 role, could Cowboys owner Jerry Jones look into parting ways with Milton now? Last week, USA Today’s Jack McKessy even suggested that Milton could be on the move in the 2026 NFL draft.

“Milton has a cannon for an arm but has struggled with developing the other necessary tools to be an NFL starter – or even a top-end backup,” McKessy wrote in an article on April 9. “They could benefit from trading an enticing yet raw quarterback like Milton for some extra draft capital to build up the defense rather than potentially cutting him after training camp.”

Besides Fernando Mendoza, the other QBs in the 2026 NFL Draft lack the potential to be a starter. So, you see, a dual-threat QB like Joe Milton could actually appeal to NFL teams looking for a developmental QB. If Jerry Jones can trade Milton for a draft pick, it would also help the Cowboys address some needs on their roster.

Last year, Jerry Jones invested in Joe Milton by sending a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the New England Patriots to acquire him. But throughout his NFL career, Milton has faced issues with consistency.

After the Patriots selected him in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Milton was expected to be a backup to Drake Maye. Instead, Milton began his rookie season as the third-string QB behind Jacoby Brissett. In the 2024 season finale, Milton made his NFL debut only after Maye left the game. In that matchup against the Buffalo Bills, Joe Milton threw for 241 yards and 2 total touchdowns to lead the Patriots to a 23-16 win.

Last year, when Milton arrived in Dallas, he entered a competition with Will Grier for the backup job. During the 2025 preseason, Milton showed potential by throwing for 397 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT, along with 61 rushing yards and a score.

However, Milton’s regular-season opportunities remained limited with Dak Prescott being the starter. Milton still recorded 183 yards, 1 TD, and two INTs, while adding 50 yards on the ground in 4 games.

Meanwhile, Prescott once again delivered a productive season for the Cowboys by throwing for 4,552 yards, 30 TDs, and ten INTs. So, this year, Prescott still has the QB1 role in Dallas, but the Cowboys have released Will Grier to make room for Sam Howell. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer has also suggested that Howell and Milton will now have to compete for the QB2 job in Dallas.

“Yeah, and again, Sam was the guy we watched the film, we were like, man, if we could have Sam Howell and Joe Milton on this football team and give those guys both a chance to compete,” Schottenheimer said in an interview last month. “They’re both uber talented, they both have big-time arm strength. Sam started, actually, 20-something games in this league, which is great. But, yeah, it’s an open competition.”

“We’re excited for both those guys to go, and you can never have enough quarterbacks to develop. And I think we developed the quarterback at a very high rate in our system, and a chance to get a guy like Sam. And Sam was excited to come here, quite honestly, to be developed by us, and the way we do it. So we should be good.”

Schottenheimer’s comments suggest that Dallas wants to evaluate both QBs carefully, but the Cowboys’ draft strategy can change that. Besides, Milton remains a raw passer and needs improvement in accuracy and decision-making. And Howell also has more experience as a starter than Milton.

Can Sam Howell be a reliable backup QB for the Cowboys?

In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Washington Commanders drafted Sam Howell with their 144th overall pick in the fifth round. Then, during the 2022 season, Howell made his debut in Washington’s Week 18 game against Dallas. In that matchup, Howell led Washington to a 26-6 win by recording 169 yards, 1 TD, and one INT, along with 35 rushing yards and another score.

During the 2023 season, Sam Howell took over as the Commanders’ full-time starter and started every game in the 2023 season. He finished the year with 3,946 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions. At one point during the 2023 season, Howell even led the NFL in passing yards. However, Washington’s offensive line struggled throughout the season, so Howell was sacked 65 times, which was the most in the NFL in 2023.

In over two seasons in Washington, Howell posted a 4-13 record as a starter before the team moved on from him. Since 2024, Howell has spent time with three NFL teams: the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, and Philadelphia Eagles.

In Seattle, Howell played only 3 games, recording 24 yards and one INT. Then, during the 2025 season in Philadelphia, Howell initially served as backup to the Eagles’ starting QB Jalen Hurts. But once QB Tanner McKee was fit to play, Howell was pushed down to take up the third-string QB role.

Moreover, Howell has started 18 games in his NFL career and recorded 4,139 passing yards, 22 TDs, and 23 INTs. Howell has the starting experience and familiarity with the NFC East division to be a safer QB2 option in Dallas. So, Jerry Jones can give Joe Milton a chance to prove his potential against Howell, but a trade can still happen even after the draft.