Last season, Joe Milton was the Dallas Cowboys’ clear-cut backup quarterback behind Dak Prescott.
This season, Milton is in what coach Brian Schottenheimer has classified as a “fun competition” with free-agent signee Sam Howell for the backup role.
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Schottenheimer was asked about the performance of Milton and Howell during a June 9 media availability. The 52-year-old coach bemoaned that the team was working largely on 7-on-7 drills rather than “real football,” but noted he was nonetheless happy with what he had seen in the backup quarterback battle.
“They’re both doing good,” Schottenheimer said of Milton and Howell. “We’re rotating them evenly. The first was week Joe getting most of the twos and Sam mixing in, and this week, it’s the other way around. But it’s going to be a fun competition and I love how they’re pushing each other to be great.”
Schottenheimer made it clear the open competition wasn’t necessarily a knock on Milton’s performance in the backup role last season. It simply represented an opportunity to improve upon the team’s overall depth behind Prescott.
“We’re always trying to raise the level and improve the room any chance we get,” Schottenheimer explained. “We’ve been very fortunate here having some really great young men that are competitors filling those spots, but you’re always looking to build as much depth as you can.”
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Schottenheimer also noted that adding Howell – an experienced NFL starter – was a “crazy” opportunity for the Cowboys.
“Sam Howell has more starts than Cooper Rush, which is because he started the one year at Washington,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s been exposed to a lot. Been in a lot of different systems, which I think is great for us.”
Howell has made 18 starts during his four-year NFL career to date, all coming for Washington. The 2022 fifth-round pick logged a 5-13 record in those 18 contests and has completed 62.6% of his career passes for 4,139 yards, 22 touchdowns and 23 interceptions while posting a 77.5 passer rating.
Milton isn’t as experienced, having never officially started an NFL game, but has completed 69.8% of his passes for 424 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and a 90.4 passer rating in his limited playing time.
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Milton also has the advantage of returning for a second year in Schottenheimer’s offense. He spent his rookie 2024 season with the New England Patriots but was in Dallas all of 2025 after being acquired via trade.
By comparison, the Cowboys will be the fifth team Howell has played for over the last three seasons. He hasn’t made a start since 2023 with the Commanders and has attempted just 14 passes over the last two seasons.
Cowboys QB depth chart
The Cowboys are currently one of nine teams with three or fewer quarterbacks. Here’s a full look at the depth chart amid their backup quarterback competition.
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It isn’t clear whether the Cowboys will add a fourth quarterback to their 90-man roster ahead of training camp and the preseason or if Dallas will be content to let Howell and Milton handle the bulk of the reps as they decide who will be Prescott’s top backup.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Schottenheimer calls Cowboys backup QB battle ‘fun competition’
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