DALLAS — The Miami Dolphins were calling the Dallas Cowboys about their quarterbacks on Sunday, the day before Dallas waived Joe Milton III, former Cowboys scout Bryan Broaddus said Friday on Trust the Tape.
Miami traded for a quarterback that same Sunday. The Dolphins sent a 2028 sixth-round pick to the Green Bay Packers for Kyle McCord on Aug. 30 to back up Malik Willis, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
Broaddus said he was told Miami was in contact, and that he was also told Dallas did not try to move Milton before the release.
“I was told that Miami was a team that were calling about your quarterbacks on Sunday. I did,” Broaddus said. “But they also traded for the guy in Green Bay. But Miami was a team that was calling. But I was also told on Monday they didn’t do anything before they released Milton. They didn’t do anything to try and trade him. Maybe they wanted him back.”
That runs against what ESPN’s Todd Archer reported Monday, citing a source, which was that Dallas held trade conversations on Milton before the cut to 53. Archer also reported there was no truth to a story that Milton had asked for his release.
How Joe Milton III Ended Up Back In Dallas
Milton made the initial 53-man roster on Aug. 30 alongside Dak Prescott and Sam Howell. Dallas waived him Monday as the corresponding move for its claim of running back Emari Demercado from the Kansas City Chiefs. He cleared waivers at Tuesday’s 3 p.m. CT deadline and signed to the practice squad Wednesday.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Tuesday at The Star that Dallas wanted Milton back on the practice squad and would not carry a third quarterback on the 53. Executive vice president Stephen Jones said on All DLLS Cowboys that the coaches thought Howell was the best choice as the No. 2, “albeit really close.”
Jeff Cavanaugh, who hosts the show, said the Cowboys gambled that Milton would clear and were right.
“I think they gambled a little bit. I think they won. Not I think. They won,” Cavanaugh said. “They gambled. They put him on waivers. He was going to go through.”
Broaddus said Milton and his agent spent Tuesday checking on practice squad interest elsewhere before coming back.
“I think Joe Milton took Tuesday to kind of sort out. I think his agent was making calls to teams to see if there was maybe an interest for some practice squad stuff,” Broaddus explained. “And once that didn’t materialize, the team’s like, nah, man, we’re good with our practice squads now. And that’s why Joe came back. I do think they were trying to probably get out of here, maybe a little butthurt by what happened, how it went down.”
Cavanaugh asked whether Milton simply could not find a better situation.
“Couldn’t find one, yeah,” Broaddus said. “Couldn’t find one that fit him the way he wanted to be fit.”
Jeff Cavanaugh On The Backup Competition
Cavanaugh’s read on the summer is that the fan base got training camp excited about Milton’s progress and the waiver wire answered the question.
“I think we just got too excited about seeing some progress from Joe Milton is all that happened. It was good to see. He made some progress,” Cavanaugh said. “But the league told you when 32 teams said no thank you to adding him to the active roster. And he was going to end up on someone’s practice squad.”
Broaddus said Jesse Holley, on Cavanaugh’s show, had described Milton running into professionals in the quarterback room and cited how Prescott and Howell prepare.
In three preseason games, Milton went 29-of-43 for 378 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions, plus 12 carries for 14 yards and a rushing score. Howell went 27-of-40 for 314 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception and ran for a score. Dallas signed Howell on March 10 to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million guaranteed.
Milton, a sixth-round pick by the New England Patriots in 2024, came to Dallas in April 2025 for a fifth-round pick. He played 51 snaps across four games last season and went 15-of-24 for 183 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions.
The Cowboys open Sunday, Sept. 13, at the New York Giants, with kickoff at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
