The Dallas Cowboys waived quarterback Joe Milton on Monday, turning to Sam Howell as the primary backup behind Dak Prescott after claiming running back Emari Demercado. Team executives and coaches hope Milton clears waivers to rejoin the practice squad, though his strong preseason performance leaves his immediate future open.
The Dallas Cowboys made a surprising roster adjustment on Monday, August 31, 2026, by waiving quarterback Joe Milton. The move arrived as a corresponding transaction to claim running back Emari Demercado off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs and add him directly to the 53-man roster.
Milton had initially survived the final roster cuts to make the initial 53-man squad, making his sudden release one of the most unexpected plot twists of the NFL offseason. Across three preseason appearances, he completed 29 of 43 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception, while adding 12 carries for 14 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Behind the Dallas Front Office Decision on Sam Howell and Joe Milton
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones explained that while the coaching staff evaluated Milton and Sam Howell as very close competitors throughout training camp, Howell ultimately won the job as the primary backup to Dak Prescott. Jones noted on All DLLS Cowboys that roster construction constraints played a decisive role in the team’s willingness to risk exposing Milton to waivers.
Joe obviously played really good in the preseason games. We really liked his performance. Sam did as well. But at the end of the day, when you took the full body of work in training camp, the practices against other teams, the coaches thought — albeit really close — Sam was the best choice for the team to go with as two now. We’d love to have Joe back. A lot of teams in this league figure out ways to carry three and four [quarterbacks]. We’ve got a lot of stress on our roster with this new defense and things that we’re doing that we can carry two [quarterbacks]. We’re in talks with Joe. We’ll see if he gets claimed. If he doesn’t, we’d love to have Joe back as our three and on the practice squad.
Reflecting on an offseason conversation when the team brought in Howell, Schottenheimer highlighted the quarterback’s internal belief, recalling that Milton told him, Coach, it doesn't matter who you bring in here, I believe in myself.
His comments to me were one of very confident, 'Coach, it doesn't matter who you bring in here, I believe in myself,' … I think it probably got his attention, but to be fair to Joe, this is not the easiest system to learn. We ask a lot of our players, certainly the quarterback position. We are a volume type offense… He's in a much different place right now, talking about Joe, in terms of his understanding of what we do.
Following Dallas’ preseason win over the Cardinals, Milton noted that he felt way more comfortable
in the offense after getting a full grasp of the playbook over the course of a 17-game season and his second training camp, allowing him to do a lot more and make sure his points and reads were right at the quarterback position.
Trade Inquiries and Waiver Market Realities for Joe Milton
The timing of the cut generated immediate speculation regarding whether Dallas attempted to trade the 26-year-old quarterback before his release. ESPN’s Todd Archer reported that the Cowboys did hold trade conversations concerning Milton prior to the roster deadline. However, media insiders clarified that Dallas did not initiate those calls; rather, Bryan Broaddus noted on Jeff Cavaugnaugh’s YouTube show that while the Cowboys fielded calls on potential quarterback trades, they did not try to trade Joe Milton before releasing him.
Those outside inquiries suggested active interest across the league, raising the probability that another franchise might claim Milton off waivers. Ultimately, Milton cleared waivers on Tuesday, passing through unclaimed and becoming free to sign with any team, either on an active roster or a practice squad.
While industry analysts view a direct signing to an active roster as unlikely given that a team wanting him on the active roster probably would have claimed him on waivers, the Dallas front office made clear their desire to bring him back to their own practice squad as the team’s third quarterback. Whether Milton accepts an offer to return to Texas or pursues opportunities elsewhere remains to be determined, though the 26-year-old spent three college seasons at Michigan and three at Tennessee before being drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft and subsequently traded to Dallas during the 2025 offseason.
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