Cowboys bring back Joe Milton on practice squad

The Dallas Cowboys surprised many of their fans on Sunday when they decided to cut quarterback Joe Milton and make Sam Howell the backup to Dak Prescott. Thankfully for the Cowboys, Milton passed through waivers and can now come back to Dallas.

On Wednesday, the Cowboys officially signed Milton to their practice squad, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Schultz reported that Milton garnered interest from all over the league, but he preferred to stay in Dallas after spending the 2025 season behind Prescott.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer raved about Milton’s development and his growth as a passer throughout the preseason and training camp, so it comes as no surprise to see the Cowboys bring Milton back after he was waived on cutdown day.

Milton will likely be the third string quarterback for the Cowboys this season and will get to suit up as the emergency quarterback on game day. While he will not be able to enter the game unless both Prescott and Howell go down, Dallas will be feeling good about the fact that it has three viable quarterback options on Sundays.

Milton is ultra-talented, with one of the biggest arms in the NFL and great athleticism to hurt defenses with his legs. While he still has a ways to go as a passer, it comes as no surprise to see the Cowboys taking a gamble that he can continue to improve given his skill set.

The Tennessee product’s improvement was shown in his preseason numbers in 2026. In three games, Milton completed 29-of-43 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Despite the strong performance, Howell played equally as well for a Cowboys offense that was humming this preseason, and he won the job as a result.

This Cowboys offense comes into the season with expectations of potentially being the best offense in the NFL this year. Prescott has one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL to throw to in George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, which makes a quarterback’s life much easier.