The Dallas Cowboys started with a bang as soon as free agency hit when they traded for Rashan Gary, but since Monday afternoon, Dallas hasn't been making as much noise as fans had wanted.
A lot of the moves they've made have come out of left field, and that included signing quarterback Sam Howell to a one-year deal.
Jon Machota of The Athletic was on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas talking about the Howell signing on The K&C Masterpiece. Machota thinks that the fact that Jerry Jones jumped on Howell just two days into free agency says everything we need to know about the QB2 spot moving forward.
"For me, it's all about when it happened. If you told me that they did this move with Sam Howell, like next week or something, because he was just out on the open market, I'd feel a little bit differently. To do that (at the start of free agency), that makes me think they want competition for Joe Milton."
The Dallas Cowboys plan to turn up the heat on Joe Milton this offseason
It didn't look like there was much to talk about at the quarterback position, as Joe Milton and Will Grier seemed set in stone as Dak Prescott's backups. That's no longer the case, and Machota's point about signing Howell early in free agency shows this move had been on the Joneses' minds for a while.
If there's one positive you can say about Milton, it's that he has a cannon for an arm. But in the 2025 preseason, that cannon was more of a liability than anything else, as he struggled with accuracy.
In the Cowboys' Week 18 season finale against the Giants, Milton had a chance to prove he was the true QB2 and completely flopped, throwing an awful interception to Bobby Okereke and posting a 38.3 passer rating.
Bumps in the road were expected for Milton, who was extremely raw coming out of Tennessee two years ago. But last preseason clearly compelled the front office to bring in another young QB to turn up the heat on the former Volunteer.
Howell had a heck of an NFL debut with the Commanders in Week 18 of the 2022 season. Against whom, you may ask? The Cowboys, of course.
The former UNC star got the chance to start the following season, but did not cover himself in glory, throwing 21 touchdowns to 21 interceptions. Still, he has experience as a starter, which can't be said about Milton, and is unfazed regardless of the situation he's thrown into.
Signing another backup quarterback says it all. It's not too surprising when you review Milton's past performances, but the fact that the Joneses signed Howell this early in free agency shows that adding another young QB had been on their minds for quite some time.