SEATTLE — Sam Howell started the Dallas Cowboys‘ preseason opener Saturday night and played the entire first half. Joe Milton III, who had been listed as the No. 2 quarterback, took the second half of a 17-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
Howell went 8-of-12 for 94 yards and a touchdown with a 118.1 passer rating. Milton was 12-of-15 for 107 yards and a touchdown with a 118.6 rating. Neither threw an interception. Seattle did not sack either one.
It was known about 90 minutes before kickoff that Howell would start and play the entire first half, with Milton taking the second. Milton had been listed behind Dak Prescott on Dallas’ first unofficial depth chart.
Brian Schottenheimer’s Two Criteria
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Milton is a big, powerful man who is pretty much unstoppable on sneaks, and that he stopped calling anything else in short yardage once he saw one.
“It’s hard to speak on quarterbacks when you don’t watch the film,” Schottenheimer explained. “But I thought both guys functioned outstanding. They both were tasked with going out there and playing against heavy pressure. A Mike Macdonald, Aden Durde defense is going to be a heavy pressure team. And they brought a bunch of things against us that, not that we weren’t prepared for, but that maybe we didn’t handle very well. So they were taking some shots.
“But they just hung in there and made the throws when they had to make them,” Schottenheimer detailed. “And they were both very efficient, and that’s what we want. We evaluate quarterbacks by a couple things. One, moving the team, scoring points. And then two, protecting the football. And I thought both guys did that.”
Dallas ran 36 times for 137 yards. Schottenheimer said Seattle plugged the middle early and that the Cowboys opened the third quarter with a perimeter run they had been holding back.
“A lot of moving parts. It’s hard,” Schottenheimer said. “Like I said, they threw a lot of things at us. I want to look at the film. Definitely some leaky moments. But early on especially, we struggled to move their guys up front. I think you’ll see that. That’s why the run numbers in the first half weren’t very good. They were doing a good job plugging up the middle.
“So we started the second half actually with a perimeter play, and we have those,” Schottenheimer continued. “We didn’t want to show too many of them. But give them some credit, because I thought early on their defensive front was really a handful for us.”
Sam Howell’s Dallas Cowboys Debut
Howell signed with Dallas on March 10 after four seasons that took him through Washington, Seattle, Minnesota, and Philadelphia. He has thrown for 4,139 yards with 22 touchdowns and 23 interceptions in 20 career games.
There are more interceptions than touchdowns on that line. Howell did not turn it over Saturday, and there are still plays he wants back.
“It was fun. Anytime you get to go out there and play football, it’s fun,” Howell said. “We moved the ball all right. Obviously, there’s some plays that we’d like to have back, but it was good to get out there and play with the guys, and we had a lot of fun out there. I’m sure there’s things that we can clean up, but like I said, it was just good to get out there and play football again.”
Dallas started at its own 16 on the possession that produced Brandon Aubrey‘s 29-yard field goal, converted three third downs, and used 16 plays and 8:43. Howell said the night gave the offense something to build on.
“We put that one — I don’t know how many plays it was, 16, 17-play drive — together,” Howell explained. “It just shows you how well we were able to execute. But we did a lot of good things. A lot of guys made a lot of good plays. So it’s something to build on for sure.”
With 2:04 left in the half, Howell got the ball back and scrambled 10 yards on third-and-7 to keep the drive alive. It ended in a 39-yard touchdown to undrafted rookie Camden Brown. He finished with 15 rushing yards on 2 attempts.
Two preseason games remain for Howell to win the job. His measure of progress is not repeating a mistake.
“I feel good. I just try to take it one day at a time. That’s kind of my mindset,” Howell said. “And just keep trying to grow in the offense and grow in the system. And I feel like I’m getting more comfortable each and every day. So just try to make the most of each and every day and try to learn from my mistakes and not make the same mistake twice. I think that’s the big thing. And I feel like I’m in a good place, but I know there’s a lot of room for me to improve. And I’m excited to get back to work.”
Joe Milton III In Year Two With Dallas Cowboys
Dallas acquired Milton from the New England Patriots in April 2025 for a fifth-round pick. He has 424 career passing yards.
Milton completed 6 of his first 8 passes. He closed the game out, taking possession at the Dallas 15 with 6:32 left and picking up 5 first downs before kneeling on it.
A week ago, Milton was listed as the No. 2 quarterback. Saturday he played the second half, and having fun is what he calls his biggest blessing.
“The biggest takeaway I have for myself is probably just keep seeing it, man. Just keep seeing it,” Milton said. “Keep progressing. And just keep having fun. I think that’s my biggest blessing, is to have fun. So just keep doing that. And then for the team, man, just keep going. Keep chipping away one play at a time. Champions find a way.”
This is Milton’s second season in the same system with the same staff.
“Camp’s a lot different,” Milton explained. “I’m able to — I went through a whole year of game planning with these coaches, so I’m able to game plan the right way now, get an understanding of what they’re thinking. Shoot, I was able to fix a play. And last year, I don’t think I would have been able to do that. So I was able to fix a play today. So it’s great.”
The coaches on the field with him Saturday are the ones Milton credits for putting him in position.
“Absolutely. Absolutely,” Milton said. “I feel more confident, but I also just feel just me. I feel like Joe. And shout out to the coaches that was out there today coaching and was able to put me in the right position. Pressure made diamonds. Pressure made diamonds. That’s how I look at it.”
Dallas has two preseason games left. The Cowboys are at the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 22 at 9 p.m. CT, then host the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. CT.
