One of the more boring debates about the Dallas Cowboys this offseason is the back-and-forth over who will be the backup quarterback behind Dak Prescott — Joe Milton or Sam Howell?
Both bad to terrible options, which should be considered only because Prescott has a lengthy injury history that seems to indicate the Cowboys should have a better plan for his backup. The Cowboys can’t say that should be Milton or Howell with a straight face — not if they’re serious about being contenders.
There’s an opening to upgrade at that position in a big way; Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski put trading their 2023 No. 4 overall pick, Anthony Richardson, as the No. 1 priority for the Indianapolis Colts for the rest of the offseason. I
In this scenario, the Colts might be willing to take a Day 4 pick in exchange for their former franchise savior, which could be a pretty good investment for the Cowboys.
“The Indianapolis Colts sit at an organizational crossroads,” Sobleski wrote. “Another failed season likely signals the end of the current regime … The front office also knows Richardson isn’t the team’s quarterback of the future and should be dealt for whatever it can get.”
While Richardson might seem a little spendy compared to what the Cowboys want to pay for a backup quarterback at $5.38 million for 2026, it’s not a long-term investment — he’s in the final season of his 4-year, $33.99 million rookie contract.
Anthony Richardson’s Epic Crash and Burn in Indy
The Colts have a rapidly diminishing asset in Richardson because he’s crashed and burned over and over his first 3 NFL seasons. He lost his starting job multiple times before he fractured his orbital bone in pre-game warmups early in the 2025 season and never returned.
Heavy’s Max Dible proposed a trade in 2025 — right before the orbital bone injury — that would have sent Richardson to the Cowboys.
“Richardson is far more proven than Joe Milton III, whom Jerry Jones gave up a fifth-round pick to get,” Dible wrote. “The Cowboys also sent a fourth-rounder to the 49ers for Trey Lance, which didn’t work out. The third time, with a third-round pick, could prove the charm. Dallas is already spending $60 million a year on Dak Prescott and refused to pay Micah Parsons what he deserves, so why not to take a swing on a high-upside talent like Richardson?”
Richardson’s ‘Quitter’ Move Defines Career So Far
If Richardson’s career is truly in jeopardy, he has no one to blame but himself.
Trailing by 2 scores late in the third quarter of an eventual 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 7, the 6-foot-4, 244-pound Richardson took himself out of the game on 3rd-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Not because he was hurt, but because he was tired.
“I had never seen an NFL QB tap out while still being healthy until watching Anthony Richardson,” ESPN host and former Colts punter Pat McAfee wrote on his official X account. “The QB is your franchise. The message it sends is loud and influential.”
The blowback was fast and furious and led to Colts head coach Shane Steichen eventually benching Richardson in favor of veteran Joe Flacco.
“Anthony Richardson’s career was clearly over the minute he tapped out of that game last season,” X user Karan wrote on his official X account. “You just can’t recover from something like that.”
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