Sam Darnold’s exit from Wednesday night’s season opener was the kind of injury news that can ripple fast through the league, and it briefly put Cowboys reserve quarterback Joe Milton III in the conversation.
Darnold went down with a game-ending hip injury just a few minutes into the Patriots-Seahawks matchup. The immediate worry around his availability was enough to get people looking at quarterback depth elsewhere, including Dallas.
Seattle already had a chance to evaluate Milton up close in the Cowboys’ first preseason game. He wasn’t as electric as he would be the following week against Arizona, but he still put together a strong second half against the Seahawks.
Then came the Cardinals game, and that one almost certainly got attention in Seattle as well. The Seahawks were scouting Arizona that week, and they also got a front-row view of Milton’s best work.
Against Seattle, Milton threw for 107 yards and a touchdown in one half. The next week, he exploded for 179 yards and three scores in the first half against Arizona, with two passing touchdowns and one rushing.
For now, Seattle probably doesn’t need to make a move. Darnold’s injury is reportedly not serious enough to land him on injured reserve, and he may only miss a week or two. That would leave the Seahawks with Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe already on the roster.
Still, the bigger point is how quickly a player like Milton can become vulnerable. He’s on the Cowboys’ practice squad, which means every other team can take a shot at him if the right need pops up. It may not have made sense for anyone to claim him or trade for him last Monday, but a couple more quarterback injuries around the league could change that in a hurry.
Dallas may be comfortable with that risk. The team didn’t exactly treat Milton like a locked-in piece when it handed the backup job to Sam Howell and left Milton off the 53-man roster. If the Cowboys aren’t especially attached to him moving forward, they probably won’t lose much sleep if another team comes calling.
Even so, Milton’s August did turn heads in Dallas. After those preseason games, it was hard to imagine no one making a trade offer or even putting in a waiver claim. There’s obviously more involved than preseason tape alone.
The Cowboys also waited until the day after final cuts to release Milton, a move meant to keep him from getting swept up in the heavy waiver churn. That alone showed they wanted to keep him in the system, even if only on the practice squad.
If that’s still the plan, Dallas may not have many more chances before another quarterback injury somewhere in the NFL costs them Milton.
In Other News...
Cowboys Fans Should Be Watching What The Raiders Just Did
The Raiders have quietly created a little more room to maneuver by restructuring the contracts of Quay Walker and Jalen Nailor, opening up $8.2 million in cap space and pushing their total cushion to just over $11 million. For Dallas, that kind of financial flexibility is worth watching because it gives Las Vegas the ability to absorb salary in a trade, which is exactly the sort of move that can change the conversation around a roster in a hurry.
For the Cowboys, the name that hangs over this is Maxx Crosby, a player whose future has long drawn attention whenever the Raiders gain cap breathing room. Las Vegas could still decide to use the space elsewhere, whether on free agents or by rolling it into next season, but the restructure does at least keep the door open for something bigger, and that is the part Dallas fans will want to monitor closely. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Suddenly Have A New Running Back Depth Concern
The Cowboys left practice with a fresh concern in the backfield after Malik Davis had to be carted off the field during the teams final workout of the week. Dallas has been able to lean on its running back depth throughout camp, but any injury at this point of the week gets attention fast, especially for a player whose role can shift quickly depending on health and game plan.
The team has other backs on the roster and practice squad who could be asked to handle the load if Davis is not available, but the bigger issue now is simply waiting to learn what happened. His status for the upcoming game is unclear, and until the Cowboys get more information, they will have one more spot in the offense to monitor closely. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Suddenly Have The Flexibility For A Bigger Defensive Move
The Cowboys have quietly created a lot more room to work with after restructuring contracts for Kenny Clark, DaRon Bland and Jake Ferguson, moves that opened up roughly $19 million in salary cap space. Add in the extension for backup tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford and the one-year, $6 million deal with receiver Ryan Flournoy, and Dallas suddenly has a healthier financial picture than it did just days ago.
That matters because the Cowboys are now sitting on around $35 million in cap space, which gives them flexibility to stay active if a bigger defensive opportunity surfaces. There has already been some speculation about possible targets down the road, including names such as Maxx Crosby and Joey Porter Jr., but for now Dallas has only set the table. The next move, if there is one, is still waiting to reveal itself. [Read more 🡒]