With the release of Joe Milton III on Monday, the Dallas Cowboys have once again admitted failure on a quarterback development project.
After this and their attempt with Trey Lance, it may be time for Dallas to start taking its QB pipeline more seriously. As Dak Prescott enters his mid-30s, it's becoming more imperative every year.
Joe Milton being on the Cowboys practice squad isn't really a win
Yes, Milton is still with the organization on the practice squad. And while Dallas' masterful maneuvering of the waiver system was successful, this week's drama wasn't a victory for their QB development process.
In April 2025, Dallas sent a fifth-round pick to the New England Patriots for Milton and a seventh-round pick. One year in the system wasn't enough to inspire confidence, motivating the free-agent signing of Sam Howell last spring.
The Cowboys were so confident that Howell would make the roster that they gave him $2.5 million in guaranteed money. In a league where money talks, it was almost like they handed him QB2 that very moment. It was certainly not a good sign for Milton's prospects this offseason.
Milton did his part this summer, wowing in the second preseason game and playing solidly otherwise. But apparently it wasn't enough, and there were reports of things going on beyond the playing field that left coaches wanting more.
Essentially, Dallas blew a fifth-rounder on a QB prospect who, after just two training camps and one season in their system, they were willing to make available to 31 other teams. They almost planned for it with the Howell signing. Ultimately, not really a positive outcome for what they gave up to acquire Milton.
The Trey Lance experience was unfortunately similar
Adding to the frustration is that we just went through this with Lance. In August 2023, Dallas sent a fourth-rounder to the 49ers for their former first-round pick. Despite his athletic potential and pedigree, the third-overall pick in 2021, Lance never found his footing with the Cowboys.
After two years playing third string behind veteran Cooper Rush, Lance wasn't re-signed in the 2025 offseason. Both he and Rush found new teams that spring, and Dallas made the move for Milton. In fact, Lance signed with the Chargers the day after Dallas' trade for Milton was announced.
Now, Lance is QB2 in Los Angeles behind Justin Herbert. John Harbaugh has led the Chargers to the playoffs twice since his arrival, so sticking with Lance as his primary backup is no small thing.
The Cowboys have to consider another strategy
Clearly, the "one man's trash" philosophy hasn't worked for Dallas lately, at least at quarterback. They had two years with Lance, only to discard him, and over a year with Milton. While Joe is still here, he could be gone the minute another team offers him a roster spot.
And the Cowboys seem pretty comfortable with that possibility.
The constants between these two stories are the front office and Will McClary's scouting team, as well as Brian Schottenheimer, to an extent. While Schotty only became head coach in 2025, Milton's first year, he was the offensive coordinator for Lance's two years.
Is it the evaluation process, assessing potential before these players are even acquired? Is it the front office liking the glamour of a trade, especially in Lance's case? Is it a matter of the QB coaches, be it Steve Shimko now (2024-2025) or Scott Tolzien (2023-2024) before him?
Some have blamed Mike McCarthy for the letdown with Trey Lance, with reports that Lance was forced on him by the Joneses. But even if that was 100% the issue, he had nothing to do with the Milton situation.
Whatever the needed fix is, Dak Prescott's 34th birthday is next July. He'll have 11 years of NFL mileage on him. Preparing for the future needs to be a regular topic around here. Even if they don't foresee replacing Dak in the next few years, having a high-quality backup should be an evergreen goal.
Maybe Sam Howell, who has been tossed around the league a bit himself the last few years, will make us feel better about the Cowboys' QB scouting and developing process overall.
Hopefully, we never see him play except in a blowout win. But if Howell does get meaningful snaps, it will bring a critical eye back to Dallas' handling of its QB depth chart.
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