FRISCO, Texas — Quarterback Joe Milton III is signing to the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, DallasCowboys.com reported Wednesday.
Milton cleared waivers at Tuesday’s 3 p.m. CT deadline and had been a free agent since. Dallas placed him on the wire Monday as the corresponding move for its claim of running back Emari Demercado from the Kansas City Chiefs, one day after Milton made the initial 53-man roster.
The addition fills 15 of the 16 standard practice squad spots. Defensive lineman Adedayo Odeleye holds an International Player Pathway exemption, which does not count against those 16 and allows Dallas a 17th player.
Dak Prescott and Sam Howell remain the two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Tuesday morning at The Star that Dallas would not carry a third quarterback there and wanted Milton back on the practice squad. Executive vice president Stephen Jones said Tuesday on All DLLS Cowboys that the club was in talks with him.
Under league rules, a club may elevate a practice squad player to the game-day roster three times in a season without signing him to the active roster.
Joe Milton III In The 2026 Preseason
Milton went 29-for-43 passing for 378 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions across three preseason games. He rushed 12 times for 14 yards and scored once.
Dallas started Howell in the preseason opener at Seattle on Aug. 15. Milton started the next two, at the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 22 and against the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 28 at AT&T Stadium.
Two years remained on the rookie contract Milton signed with New England when Dallas released him, and no club claimed it. Terms of the practice squad deal were not reported.
Joe Milton III’s Path Back To The Dallas Cowboys
The New England Patriots drafted Milton in the sixth round in 2024, 193rd overall, and he spent his rookie season on their practice squad. New England traded him and a 2025 seventh-round pick to Dallas on April 3, 2025, for a 2025 fifth-round pick.
Milton appeared in four games for the Cowboys last season and played 51 offensive snaps. He has not started an NFL game since the 2024 season finale.
Before Monday’s cut to 53 players, Dallas held trade conversations on Milton, ESPN’s Todd Archer reported, citing a source. Archer reported later Monday that there was no truth to a story that Milton had asked the Cowboys for his release.
Dallas opens the regular season against the New York Giants on September 13. Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is set for 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
