Joe Milton has strong game, but Cowboys backup QB competition “long from over”

The Cowboys know Dak Prescott is their starting quarterback, but they still have a decision to make about who will be the next man up on the depth chart.

Joe Milton got the start on Saturday against the Cardinals and made a strong case for the job. Milton was 9-of-13 for 179 yards and a touchdown before giving way to Sam Howell, who went 7-of-10 for 65 yards and an interception. Milton also had a good game after replacing Howell in the preseason opener and head coach Brian Schottenheimer credited him with “two good halves” on Saturday, but said the competition remains open.

“This is long from over,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re going back to Frisco, thankfully, get a chance to be home and put some more training camp days in. You’ve got to give Joe his credit, he’s played really well the past two games, but we have a lot of confidence in Sam as well.”

Milton joined the Cowboys late in the 2025 preseason and said he feels a “major difference” from where he was a year ago. We’ll find out soon whether that difference has been enough for him to secure the backup job.