The Dallas Cowboys sent shockwaves around the NFL by releasing Joe Milton to clear a roster spot for new running back Emari Demercado.
Cowboys fans all shared the same question: Why risk losing your 6-foot-5, dual-threat QB with the strongest arm in the NFL if you're technically not ready to give up on him? Both Stephen Jones and Brian Schottenheimer said on Tuesday that they want Milton back on the practice squad.
And that's exactly what happened.
The 25-year-old quarterback was not claimed on waivers, making him a free agent. While other teams could have offered Milton a realistic path to playing time, he opted to return to the Cowboys' practice squad and continue developing under Schottenheimer and quarterbacks coach Steve Shimko.
We gave Dallas a lot of grief (deservedly so) for waiving Milton. It was an avoidable risk, but what looked like a baffling gamble now looks like genius roster manipulation by the coaching staff and front office.
And yet, something still feels off.
Joe Milton returns to Cowboys' practice squad, but why was he released in the first place?
Milton was not at Cowboys practice Wednesday morning.
It's unclear if he received other practice squad offers, but getting cut had to sting given how well he performed all summer. It's one of the more shocking roster decisions Dallas has made in recent memory. Given the circumstances, it stands to reason that Schottenheimer gave the third-year quarterback some time to process the decision and weigh Dallas' offer before returning.
Milton was reportedly the 53rd player on the Cowboys' roster. In mathematical terms, that certainly tracks. Only recently have NFL teams been allowed to dress a third "emergency" quarterback without using one of their active roster spots.
If the Cowboys had it their way, Milton would only play this upcoming season in a blowout scenario. But does that mean he should have been the designated sacrificial lamb?
Dallas clearly wanted Milton back on the practice squad, a signal that the front office and coaching staff aren't ready to give up on his development.
Maybe there's more than what meets the eye. The evaluation process goes beyond training camp practices and preseason exhibitions. While Milton performed well in both settings this summer, it could be as simple as Dallas trusting Sam Howell more to run the offense in an emergency, leaving Milton as the odd man out in a numbers crunch.
Does Milton still need to improve as a processor and reader of defenses? Preseason defenses are vanilla by nature, and he struggled a bit in joint practices with the Rams and Saints. Was that really enough for Dallas to start over behind Dak Prescott if Milton got claimed?
All of the Joe Milton fuss was for nothing
Why was Drew Shelton protected as the fifth offensive tackle on the roster who isn't going to play a snap this season? The Cowboys must've had it on GREAT authority that Milton would go unclaimed.
That begs the question of why Milton wasn't claimed. Sure, most quarterback rooms were settled after Monday's transactions, but not a single team was willing to part with a player to get a quarterback with relatively high upside in the building? No more than 24 hours after teams showed interest in trading for Dallas' backup QBs? That doesn't add up.
Might the front office and coaching staff have different evaluations of Milton? Or is the organization aligned on the quarterback, and this was simply roster manipulation with Dallas confident he'd eventually return?
Your guess is as good as ours, but it never made sense for the Cowboys to risk losing him if they intended to bring him back. Something feels off, but Dallas looks like geniuses now regardless because he is, indeed, back.
All of the fuss was for nothing, but this story isn't going away.
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