FRISCO, Texas — Two quarterbacks appear on the Dallas Cowboys’ unofficial depth chart released Tuesday. Dak Prescott is the starter. Sam Howell is behind him, and no third name is listed.
Joe Milton is on the 17-man practice squad. Dallas waived him Aug. 31 as the corresponding move for the waiver claim on running back Emari Demercado from the Kansas City Chiefs. He cleared waivers Sept. 1 and re-signed with Dallas on Sept. 2.
A week before the cut, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Dallas had two capable backups in Milton and Howell. He named Howell on Sept. 1, the day Milton cleared waivers.
“We looked at the whole body of work,” Schottenheimer said. “We just felt like Sam had done a little bit more just in terms of executing the offense in certain areas.”
Sam Howell Has 18 Career Starts And A 5-13 Record In Them
Howell is 25. Washington took him in the fifth round in 2022, and he started all 17 games there in 2023. He has 18 career starts and a 5-13 record in them. Across four seasons with Washington, Seattle, and Philadelphia he has thrown for 4,139 yards with 22 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. He was on Minnesota’s practice squad before joining Philadelphia in 2025. He signed a one-year contract worth $2.5 million with Dallas this spring, $2 million of it guaranteed.
In the preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints, Howell threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns and ran for a tying two-point conversion to erase a 15-point deficit. New Orleans kicked a field goal to win 27-24.
Milton is 26. New England took him in the sixth round in 2024, and Dallas acquired him in April 2025 for a fifth-round pick. He backed up Prescott last season and appeared in four games in relief. He has not started a regular season game.
Across three preseason games this summer Milton completed 29 of 43 passes for 378 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also carried 12 times for 14 yards and a touchdown.
Stephen Jones On Why Dallas Is Carrying Two Quarterbacks
Executive vice president Stephen Jones said the coaches saw the call as close, and that Dallas would take Milton back on the practice squad if he went unclaimed.
“We’d love to have Joe back,” Jones said on the DLLS Cowboys podcast. “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.”
Prescott completed 404 of 600 passes for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 2025. He also ran 53 times for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns. He enters his 11th season. Dallas finished 7-9-1 and scored 471 points, seventh most in the NFL.
The Cowboys named four team captains for 2026. Prescott and kicker Brandon Aubrey are two of them.
Dallas opens Sunday night at the New York Giants. Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
