After restructuring major contracts and reshuffling personnel to strengthen his team’s defense, Jerry Jones just made a surprising move in free agency. The Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager had vowed to have an aggressive strategy in free agency this year. Jones has also restructured the contracts of veteran players like quarterback Dak Prescott to create more cap space this offseason. Despite the financial flexibility, Dallas has avoided the biggest names on the market so far. And amid backlash over the lack of major signings, Jones has unexpectedly signed a quarterback from an NFC East rival.

“Former Eagles QB Sam Howell has agreed to a one-year deal with the Cowboys, per source,” NFL insider Adam Schefter reported via X on March 10.

In Dallas, Howell now joins a quarterback room that includes Prescott, Joe Milton, and Will Grier. Prescott is firmly entrenched as the starter, but the new addition could shake up the depth chart behind him. Milton served as Dallas’ backup last season after the Cowboys traded a fifth-round pick to the New England Patriots to acquire him along with a seventh-round selection. Howell’s experience, including 18 career starts, could create a training camp competition for the No. 2 job.

That development may also place Grier in a difficult position. The veteran quarterback was Dallas’ No. 3 option last season and signed a reserve/futures contract with the team last month, but Howell’s arrival could leave him as the odd man out if the Cowboys ultimately decide to keep only three quarterbacks on the active roster. As for Howell, having previously played for both Washington and Philadelphia, he brings familiarity with NFC East defenses.

Former Philadelphia Eagles QB Sam Howell began the 2025 season as Jalen Hurts’ backup after Tanner McKee fractured the thumb on his throwing hand during training camp. Once McKee returned ahead of Week 4, Howell moved down to the QB3 role. Although he never appeared in a regular-season game for Philadelphia, his departure now leaves Hurts and McKee as the only quarterbacks on the Eagles’ roster.

A fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Howell was originally selected by another NFC East rival of Dallas the Washington Commanders. Across his NFL career, he has appeared in 20 games, recording 4,139 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions with a 62.6% completion rate.

Interestingly, Howell’s first NFL start came against Jerry Jones’ team in the Week 18 matchup of the 2022 season. In that game, he completed 11 of 19 passes for 169 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also added five rushing attempts for 35 yards and a rushing TD to help Washington secure a 26-6 win over Dallas.

Howell received his most significant opportunity with the Washington Commanders, where he started 18 games across two seasons. His largest role came during the 2023 campaign, when he started all 17 games and threw for 3,946 yards with 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. At one point midseason, Howell briefly led the NFL in passing yards, highlighting the arm talent that once made him a highly regarded quarterback prospect coming out of North Carolina. However, that season also exposed the challenges of operating behind an inconsistent offensive line, as Howell was sacked a league-high 65 times.

Before entering the NFL, Howell had built one of the most productive résumés in college football at North Carolina. The three-year starter threw for more than 10,000 career yards and 92 touchdowns while adding significant rushing production. Those numbers initially projected him as a potential early-round draft pick, but concerns about mechanics and decision-making caused him to slide to the fifth round of the 2022 draft.

Despite flashes of potential in Washington, the Commanders eventually moved in a different direction, leading to a trade to the Seattle Seahawks. In Seattle, Howell served primarily as the backup to Geno Smith and appeared in just two games, completing one of two passes for two yards.

The Seahawks later traded Howell to the Minnesota Vikings during the 2025 offseason. Minnesota initially viewed him as a backup option behind rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but that arrangement proved brief. In August, the Vikings dealt Howell and a sixth-round pick to Philadelphia in exchange for a fifth-round selection in the 2026 draft and a seventh-round pick in 2027. The Eagles made the move because of uncertainty behind Hurts at the time, as primary backup Tanner McKee was dealing with an injury and the team wanted additional insurance at quarterback. Howell ultimately spent the season in a reserve role and did not appear in a regular-season game.

Across his career, Howell has also added mobility to his profile, contributing roughly 300 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. At just 25 years old, he remains young enough that teams still view him as a developmental option rather than a finished product.

Despite it all, while the signing marks only the third move Dallas has made since the free agency negotiation period began on March 9, Jerry Jones appears to have provided additional ammunition for critics who believe the Cowboys have been too quiet in the market.

Jerry Jones faces criticism over his strategy at the start of NFL free agency

The Cowboys kicked off the free agency cycle this year with a trade for Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Rashan Gary. After that move, however, Dallas watched as other NFL teams signed some of the biggest free agents in the market. While this came after the Cowboys publicly lost out in the pursuit of star defensive end Maxx Crosby, Jeffri Chadiha of NFL.com ranked Jerry Jones at the top of his list of the league’s “Biggest Losers” after the very first day of free agency.

“Gary is certainly an upgrade on what Dallas already had on the edge,” Chadiha wrote in a recent article. “It’s also worth wondering how impactful he will be as a Cowboy. Gary was once considered an ascending talent. A torn ACL in the 2022 season changed all that; he hasn’t been nearly as proficient at pressuring quarterbacks since he was before that injury.”

“The 29-year-old also is set to count for $19.5 million against this year’s cap,” Chadiha added. “There’s a reason the Packers were considering releasing him at some point this offseason. Jones certainly found a cheaper option for his pass rush. It remains to be seen if it will be an effective one.”

At the start of free agency, Jerry Jones decided to improve his team’s edge rush with Rashan Gary instead of betting a lot on Maxx Crosby. As per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Cowboys sent a fourth-round pick from the 2027 NFL Draft to Green Bay in exchange for Gary. While the Packers selected Gary with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, he has posted at least 7.5 sacks in each of the past three seasons and even earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2024.

However, as Chadiha pointed out, while Rashan Gary signed a four-year, $96 million extension deal with the Packers back in 2023, he hasn’t fully delivered on the investment made in him. Gary is also expected to earn $19.5 million against the cap this year and another $22.5 million in 2027. And that financial commitment will push the Cowboys to restructure Gary’s deal to create more cap space.

Meanwhile, Jerry Jones also made another move to add some depth to the defensive front on the second day of free agency. On March 10, defensive lineman Sam Williams reportedly agreed to return to Dallas on a one-year, $3 million deal. The Cowboys still hold two first-round picks in this year’s draft, so whether through free agency, trades, or draft-day maneuvering, Jones still has the capital to make bigger moves. But will those moves arrive soon enough to silence Jones’ critics?