According to Grant Gordon, Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer told reporters that quarterbacks Joe Milton and Sam Howell will compete for the team’s backup job ahead of the 2026 season.
Dallas gave up one of its compensatory fifth-round picks to get Milton and a seventh in April of last year before signing Howell to a one-year contract this offseason.
Milton, 26, was selected in the sixth round of the 2024 draft by the Patriots. He’s entering the third year of a four-year, $4,203,316 million rookie contract that includes $183,316 guaranteed.
Throughout his six-year career between Michigan and Tennessee, Milton appeared in 43 games and completed 400 of 649 passes (61.6%) for 5,353 yards, 37 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also rushed 174 times for 661 yards and an additional 12 touchdowns.
In 2025, Milton appeared in four games and completed 15 of 24 pass attempts for 183 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, adding five carries for 50 yards.
Howell, 25, was considered to be one of the top quarterback prospects in the country entering his junior season at North Carolina but fell to the fifth round after a rocky year and was drafted by the Commanders in 2022.
The Commanders traded Howell to the Seahawks in 2024. He was later traded to the Vikings during the offseason, then traded yet again during the preseason to the Eagles.
Howell finished the final year of a four-year $4,021,599 contract that includes a $361,599 signing bonus.
In 2024, Howell appeared in two games for the Seahawks and completed 35.7 percent of his passes to go along with no touchdowns and one interception.
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