The wait for a clean ending in Dallas is over. Former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joe Milton III is a free agent again.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that the Dallas Cowboys are releasing the 6-foot-5, 236-pound passer, one day after he initially made the 53-man roster.
Todd Archer of ESPN added that Milton would be eligible for the practice squad if he clears waivers, and that Sam Howell is now the clear No. 2 behind Dak Prescott. NFL reporter Aaron Wilson confirmed the waiver.
For Vols fans, the move is familiar and frustrating. Milton arrived in Knoxville as a Michigan transfer and spent three seasons on Rocky Top.
In 2023, he finally took the full-time starting job, throwing for 2,813 yards and 20 touchdowns against five interceptions while rushing for seven more scores. The cannon arm that once drew gasps at Neyland Stadium never left him. What did leave him, at times, was consistency.
New England drafted him in the sixth round in 2024, the same year the Patriots took Drake Maye third overall. Milton’s one real look as a rookie came in Week 18 against Buffalo: 22-of-29 for 241 yards and a touchdown in a win that cost New England the No. 1 pick.
In April 2025, Schefter was the one who first reported the Patriots trading him to Dallas for a fifth-round pick. The Cowboys wanted a younger, bigger-armed backup after Cooper Rush left for Baltimore.
Last season Milton appeared in four games for Dallas, completing 15 of 24 passes for 183 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
This summer, the Cowboys signed Howell and made the backup job a competition. Milton flashed in early preseason games; Howell closed stronger. Dallas kept both on Sunday’s initial 53, then changed its mind Monday.
From a Tennessee perspective the story is the same one Vols fans have watched with other former starters: tools that travel, polish that lags, and a league that rarely waits. Milton is 26.
He still has the size and the arm that made him a highlight machine in orange. He also now has another team to impress, or a practice-squad path back to Arlington if no one claims him.
Rocky Top will keep an eye on the waiver wire. The kid who once launched footballs over the checkerboard still has a chance. It just won’t be in Dallas — at least not on the 53-man roster.
