The Cowboys’ backup quarterback race has been easy to miss next to the running back and cornerback battles, but it may be the most important competition in Oxnard.
Dak Prescott started all 17 games last season, yet Dallas knows better than to treat that as a given. Prescott’s injury history makes the No. 2 quarterback spot a real job, not a formality. The Cowboys need someone they trust to keep the offense moving if he misses time.
Right now, Sam Howell looks like the guy with the edge.
Through a week and a half of camp, Howell has apparently pulled ahead of Joe Milton, who served as Prescott’s backup last season after beating out newly minted Cowboys assistant Will Grier a year ago. On the Cowboys Collective podcast at the 12:30 mark, Jon Machota of The Athletic said Howell has taken firm control of the competition.
"Sam Howell, to me, is clearly ahead of Joe Milton right now," Machota said. "If they had to play one game right now -- (if) they have to play two games, whatever -- Sam Howell is ahead of Joe Milton."
That says something about Howell, but it may say even more about Milton. Howell signed a one-year, $2.5 million fully guaranteed contract with Dallas in March, and that kind of deal always suggested the Cowboys saw him as more than a warm body in camp. He was brought in to compete for the job.
The situation feels a little different from last summer, when Grier and Milton were technically battling for QB2 but the outcome never felt especially in doubt. Grier had not appeared in a regular-season game since his rookie year in 2019, and Milton was the clear younger arm waiting behind him.
Howell offers more than Grier ever did. He is six years younger, and he can do real damage with his legs.
He moves well in the pocket, can slip pressure, extend plays, and run when the lane opens. In his lone season as Washington’s starter, he rushed for 248 yards at 5.5 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns.
That mobility matters, but Howell also looks like the more polished passer. Milton has flashed with a couple of gorgeous deep balls in camp, but consistency remains the issue.
He can hit a big throw. The harder part is doing it snap after snap.
That inconsistency showed up last preseason. With Milton under center, the offense was too boom-or-bust, which made it tough to evaluate everyone else on the field, including the receivers. Without a steady passing threat, defenses crowded the line and made life harder for Dallas’ running backs.
The Cowboys essentially turned Milton into a preseason workhorse, giving him 75 of the 96 dropbacks, according to PFF. That setup likely changes this year. If Howell and Milton are splitting reps, Milton won’t have nearly as much room to make mistakes.
None of this makes the race over. Howell’s lead is real, but it can be overturned. Still, it matters that he has moved ahead this quickly, just five months after arriving in Dallas, while Milton is already in Year 2 of the offense.
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