The Dallas Cowboys released former New England Patriots quarterback Joe Milton III on Monday, cutting him loose in a corresponding move after claiming a new running back off waivers.
The move ends a summer-long backup battle with Sam Howell that Dallas never definitively settled, leaving Milton to find his next shot to prove that his rocket arm belongs on an NFL roster.
Dallas kept three quarterbacks on Sunday’s initial 53-man roster: Dak Prescott, Milton and Howell. Milton had spent the summer locked in a tight competition with Howell for the No. 2 job behind Prescott.
And then, Dallas claimed running back Emari Demercado off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, a move that forced a corresponding roster cut, according to NBC Sports. Milton got the sudden bad news, leaving Howell as Prescott’s only backup.
Milton had actually been trending upward. He finished the preseason 29-of-43 for 378 yards and three touchdowns, production that earned him praise from head coach Brian Schottenheimer even before the roster call came down, NBC Sports reported.
Joe Milton III’s Release Ends Sam Howell Battle
Dallas signed Howell in free agency specifically to push Milton, guaranteeing him $2.5 million to come compete for the job he’d nearly held alone a year earlier. Schottenheimer summed up the battle, saying, “It’s been neck and neck,” as quoted by The Dallas Morning News.
Milton pulled ahead briefly with a sharp two-game preseason stretch, including a 179-yard, two-touchdown half against Arizona. Howell answered in the preseason finale against New Orleans, throwing two touchdowns while Milton managed just 92 yards on 15 attempts.
A former Cowboys scout had already floated a different outcome. Bryan Broaddus argued Dallas should take trade calls on Milton rather than let him rot behind Prescott, who is signed through 2028. No deal ever materialized, and Dallas fielded calls but held onto both passers through Sunday’s cuts.
Milton carried a 2026 cap hit of just $1,075,000, the third year of the four-year, $4,203,316 rookie contract he signed with New England, according to Spotrac’s contract breakdown. His career earnings sit at $1,765,080. When the running back need arose Monday, the roster spot went to youth and upside at a different position.
Patriots Trade to Dallas Built Around Rare Arm
New England drafted Milton in the sixth round, 193rd overall, in 2024, then traded him to Dallas in April 2025 in exchange for a fifth-round pick, sending back a seventh-rounder in the deal, according to NFL.com. The Patriots moved on after signing veteran Josh Dobbs to back up Drake Maye.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel kept his explanation simple.
“We felt like his reps were going to be decreased,” he said, “and we felt like, just like every other decision, we were going to do what’s best for the team.”
Milton’s calling card has never been in doubt. He fired a throw 71 yards in the air at his pro day and has claimed he can reach 90 yards or more when he cuts loose. Scouts flagged the same trade-off that followed him from Michigan to Tennessee — elite velocity paired with shaky accuracy underneath, a gap that kept him on the board until the sixth round.
Milton appeared in four games for Dallas last season without a start, completing 15-of-24 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown. A practice-squad return to Dallas remains a possibility, though several quarterback-needy teams are already believed to be watching his availability on the waiver wire. No word on whether the Patriots, whose No. 1 backup is Tommy DeVito, are among them.
Ex-Patriots QB Joe Milton Gets Sudden Bad News From Dallas Cowboys