Cowboys Jerry Jones Delivers Blunt Joe Milton Statement Before Giants Game

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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones delivered a blunt statement about Joe Milton and his release from Dallas before the Giants game.

Just days before the Cowboys open their 2026 NFL season against the New York Giants on NBC Sunday Night Football, owner Jerry Jones delivered a blunt statement Tuesday morning on why Dallas released backup quarterback Joe Milton last week, only to sign him back to the team’s practice squad once Milton cleared waivers.

Dallas waived Milton on Aug. 31, a corresponding move after claiming running back Emari Demercado off waivers, and kept Sam Howell as Dak Prescott’s backup. Milton cleared waivers and re-signed to the practice squad Sept. 3.

Milton didn’t hide his frustration, calling the cut “shocking” and saying he came back largely because of relationships he’s built in the building, Dak Prescott chief among them.

“I’m still the best quarterback in my eyes,” Milton said. “It is what it is. It’s something you got to live with and take to the chin,” as quoted by Essentially Sports.

Joe Milton III’s Roster Cut and Practice Squad Return

Milton “did some really great things for us” in training camp and the preseason, Jones said in remarks made on 105.3 The Fan Tuesday morning, adding the third-string quarterback is “better than he was this time last year.”

“Relatively speaking, we got what we want here, and that’s some real talent there at that backup quarterback position and a chance to have some options as the season goes along,” Jones said.

Jones’ praise of Milton may not have been exactly effusive, adding such qualifiers as “relatively speaking.” But Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer has made no secret of wanting Milton back.

“To have Joe Milton back would be incredible,” Schottenheimer said before final cuts, adding the team would let Milton weigh his options, according to CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell.

Joe Milton III’s Preseason Numbers and Career Path

Across three exhibition games this year, Milton completed 29 of 43 passes for 378 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions, good for a 118.2 passer rating that outpaced Howell’s preseason work. He connected on a 53-yard touchdown to Jonathan Mingo and a 70-yard gain to Camden Brown, flashing the rocket arm that has been his calling card since college.

Howell, who has 18 career starts, closed his preseason strong, completing 12 of 18 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns against New Orleans. Schottenheimer said the deciding factor was Howell’s grasp of the offense and his speed through progressions.

Milton’s regular-season sample in Dallas is pretty limited. He appeared in four games without a start in 2025, completing 15 of 24 passes for 183 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for a 65.1 rating, mostly in mop-up duty.

Milton was born in Pahokee, Florida, and is a cousin of former NFL receiver Anquan Boldin. He began his college career at Michigan before transferring to Tennessee, where he threw for 2,813 yards with 20 touchdowns against five interceptions as a senior.

New England drafted Milton in the sixth round, 193rd overall, in 2024. His only game action as a rookie came in Week 18, when he threw for 241 yards and a touchdown in a win over Buffalo. The Patriots traded him to Dallas that April with a seventh-round pick for a fifth-rounder.

Milton’s career regular-season line now sits at 37 of 53 passing for 424 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and a 90.4 rating across five games.

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