Dak Prescott is locked in as the Dallas Cowboys’ starter this season, but the real wrinkle is what happens behind him. The backup job is still being sorted out, and after two preseason games, Sam Howell and Joe Milton III remain in the mix for QB2.
ESPN’s Todd Archer didn’t go as far as naming a backup quarterback, but he did project a more intriguing move: Dallas keeping all three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster rather than trimming one to open up a spot elsewhere.
“Maybe in a perfect world the Cowboys would rather go with two quarterbacks, but Milton and Howell have fared well, and if quarterback is the most important spot on the team, then maybe it's wise to keep three.”
Prescott remains the clear No. 1, and Milton may currently hold the edge in the backup competition, but the battle is still alive. It wouldn’t be a shock if Dallas eventually cut or traded one of the two reserves, yet there’s also a real case for holding onto both as insurance.
Through the preseason, Milton has completed 21 of 28 passes for 286 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Howell has gone 15-for-22 for 159 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.
If there’s a likely odd man out, Howell looks like the one. But if Dallas moved on from him, another team could easily step in. The same risk exists if Milton were the one left vulnerable.
That’s why keeping all three could be the safer play. It would squeeze the rest of the roster a little more, but if the Cowboys can create space by trading another player or taking a chance somewhere else, carrying three quarterbacks may be the move that leaves them most comfortable heading toward 2026.
In Other News...
Eagles Rookie Is Giving Cowboys Fans A Reason To Laugh
Training camp has already given Cowboys fans one small comfort in Philadelphia, and it comes courtesy of a rookie tight end who was supposed to help stabilize the Eagles passing game. Eli Stowers, a second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, has instead spent much of camp and the preseason fighting to find his footing, with his blocking and receiving both drawing scrutiny as the Eagles try to sort through a depth chart battered by injuries at receiver.
For Dallas, the details are almost beside the point. Any time a division rival invests premium draft capital and then sees the early returns wobble, it invites the kind of unflattering comparisons that stick around, and Stowers has already been mentioned in the same breath as JJ Arcega-Whiteside, another second-round Eagles pick who never lived up to the billing. The bigger issue for Philadelphia is immediate pressure, because the injuries around him leave the rookie with even less margin for error as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Suddenly Have A Real Roster Decision At Two Key Spots
The Cowboys got a useful look at a few roster battles in their second preseason game, and it did more than just fill out the exhibition calendar. Joe Milton kept building his case to be the backup quarterback, while wide receivers Camden Brown and Jonathan Mingo both put themselves in the conversation for final roster spots. With cutdowns approaching, Dallas is watching not just who plays well, but who keeps stacking productive snaps when the competition gets tighter.
Snap counts are becoming part of the conversation too, which is usually a sign the decisions are getting real. The Cowboys are sorting through a deeper receiving mix and weighing how much value each player brings beyond one good night in August, and they are also open to exploring trades if that helps shape the 53-man roster. For a team trying to balance upside, depth and certainty, the next few evaluations may matter as much as anything that happened in the preseason opener. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Just Made Cutdown Day Tougher At One Key Position
After the preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Cowboys got a clearer look at a few players who made their case when it mattered most. Running back Malik Davis stood out with rushing production, a touchdown catch and solid pass protection, the kind of all-around night that can matter on a roster bubble where every detail gets weighed. He was hardly alone, either, as Dallas saw encouraging work from Ajani Cornelius, Camden Brown and Jaydon Blue in a game that helped sharpen the picture heading into cutdown day.
For a team still sorting through the back end of the roster, those performances only made one key position more crowded. Davis gave the staff reasons to keep him around, while Cornelius, Brown and Blue each added to the sense that they belong in the conversation for the Cowboys 53-man roster. The bigger question now is not whether Dallas found some useful tape, but how the team sorts through the numbers when the final decisions have to be made. [Read more 🡒]