We are less than two weeks from the Dallas Cowboys opening OTAs for the 2026 season, and for the most part the roster is set. The team can carry 90 players, and while there will be tinkering done around the edges, it’s unlikely the Cowboys are going to make major changes to the slate of players on hand. Still, it’s a good moment to have a look at what’s in place and attempt to foresee who will be staying on the final 53-man roster, and who will be facing the chopping block.
One area where there will be special interest is in the quarterback room, where Dak Prescott is more than comfortable as the QB1, but where the Cowboys need to gird themselves against potential injuries–Prescott turns 33 in July, after all, and has had some serious injuries in his past, from a torn hamstring and broken ankle to a thumb injury that cost him five games.
So, the options behind Prescott are worth monitoring. The Cowboys traded for Joe Milton before last season, and though he saw limited action, he is still considered an upside guy. But it was clear that the Cowboys are shaky in their faith in Milton–after all, they signed former Washington starter Sam Howell this winter, giving the team a more game-ready option ahead of Milton
Joe Milton Stays, Sam Howell Out?
Interestingly, though, it looks more and more like those in and around The Star are thinking that Milton will keep the Cowboys’ backup job despite only 53 career NFL passes attempted and zero starts in two NFL seasons. Howell, meanwhile, started 17 games in 2023, and attempted a league-high 612 passes that year on a terrible Washington team–he led the league with 21 interceptions, but he does have experience as a starter.
But in sussing out the Cowboys’ potential 53-man roster, longtime Cowboys reporter Mike Fisher predicts the team will stick with two quarterbacks, with Howell being let go (and perhaps brought back on the practice squad).
Writes Fish: “Dallas traditionally keeps two because it cuts a third-stringer, and then brings that guy back. So we’ll lean that way here, with Joe Milton making the team over Sam Howell – initially – and then with Howell returning to the team in September. Of course, none of that matters compared to Dak Prescott, the centerpiece guy of this whole operation.”
Cowboys Likely to Keep 2 Quarterbacks
Now, Fisher is not an outlier on this. Though the Cowboys only signed Howell on a $2.5 million contract, all guaranteed, back in March, the fact that the Cowboys gave up a draft pick for Milton means they’d be hard-pressed to dump him.
There will be a competition, and perhaps Howell can win the job. But Jon Machota of The Athletic, too, predicts that Milton stays and Howell leaves.
He wrote: “Dallas has three veteran quarterbacks who could each make the roster, but it seems difficult to keep that many. Joe Milton and Sam Howell will battle for the backup job throughout training camp and the preseason. Either one could win the job. Howell has the experience, having started 18 NFL games, but Milton has the higher upside. It’s hard to believe that the Cowboys would part ways with Milton after trading a fifth-round pick for him a year ago.”
Cowboys Projected to Cut Newly Signed Quarterback