The Dallas Cowboys have their franchise quarterback in Dak Prescott, but there is plenty of interest in who will win the backup job. Dallas signed veteran Sam Howell this offseason creating a training camp competition with Joe Milton for the QB2 role.
It marks the second straight offseason where Dallas made a quarterback move as the team acquired Milton via a trade with the New England Patriots in April 2025. Now, the quarterbacks are set to battle not only for the QB2 role but potentially to make the final roster.
The question is whether the Cowboys will keep two or three quarterbacks. USA Today’s K.D. Drummond offered early roster projections that has Milton winning the backup signal-caller role.
Additionally, the projections have the Cowboys releasing Howell just months after signing with Dallas. It is worth noting that the analyst believes the Cowboys could still re-sign Howell to the team’s practice squad following a potential release.
“In this iteration, the Cowboys are going to roll with the young Milton, to protect him on the roster, while having a wink-wink agreement with Sam Howell,” Drummond wrote in a July 27, 2026, story titled, “5 draft picks cut in Cowboys 53-man roster prediction; heavy on defense.”
“Howell will be cut, but immediately signed to the practice squad, and he will be a roster call up the first three weeks of the season to be the primary in-game backup to Prescott,” Drummond added.
“Once the elevation options are used up, an injury will likely lead to a roster spot he’ll take.”
Cowboys News: QB Sam Howell Has $2.5 Million Guaranteed Contract
One challenge with this potential outcome: the Cowboys have $2.5 million reasons to keep Howell on the roster. Howell signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with Dallas that is fully guaranteed, per Spotrac.
This means that if Howell is released the Cowboys would still be on the hook for the $2.5 million plus his new practice squad salary. It is also worth noting that releasing Howell opens up the opportunity for another team to claim the quarterback off waivers.
In this scenario, Dallas would clearly be prevented from re-signing Howell. The veteran has more experience than Milton, but this is not necessarily a positive.
Howell has thrown 23 interceptions during his NFL career, including 21 picks in 2023 with the Washington Commanders.
Cowboys Rumors: Sam Howell & Joe Milton Fighting Not to be Cut During Training Camp
By comparison, Milton has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $4.2 million contract. Dallas would not take nearly the same kind of financial hit by releasing Milton rather than Howell.
There is also a scenario where the Cowboys retain Prescott, Milton and Howell. Yet, in past years, we have seen the Cowboys only keep two quarterbacks then look to re-sign the third signal-caller on the team’s practice squad following their release.
Cowboys Training Camp Starts on Wednesday, July 29
The Cowboys arrive in Oxnard, California, on July 27, but training camp practices do not officially start until July 29. Dallas is headed for an open competition at backup quarterback in the coming weeks.
“Sam was a 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,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer noted during a March 30, media session. “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,” Schottenheimer continued.
“… Sam was excited to come here, quite honestly, to be developed by us and the way we do it.”
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Cowboys Predicted to Cut Ties With Former 21-Interception QB in Intense Camp Battle appeared first on HEAVY.