The Dallas Cowboys’ decision to release quarterback Joe Milton on Monday afternoon quickly drew attention across the NFL, not only for the cut itself but for its timing and the theories that followed.
Milton had been one of the more impressive backups in camp and the preseason, completing 29 of 43 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns without an interception or a sack.
Many observers expected him to stick as Dak Prescott’s primary backup.
Instead, the Cowboys waited until after other clubs had finished their weekend quarterback moves, then waived him. He went unclaimed and could still return to Dallas on the practice squad, though that outcome is no longer guaranteed.
The delay raised an obvious practical question: did the organization simply want to improve Milton’s odds of clearing waivers so it could keep him close? That explanation is plausible
A less charitable reading circulated just as quickly. Former players suggested the Cowboys preferred not to have a hot-handed young quarterback standing immediately behind Prescott.
On the “Deebo and Joe” podcast, hosts Joe Haden and James Harrison framed the move as possible protection for the starter. Their accompanying post asked, “The Cowboys cut Joe Milton III after having a phenomenal preseason. Was this move by Jerry to protect Dak?”
Former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson was more blunt. He labeled the cut “dirty business” and argued the team did not want the public conversation that would arise if the season went poorly.
“With the way he did play, I don’t want him as the No. 2 because, in case things are not going well, you know what everybody’s going to be saying,” Johnson said. “That’s another factor that’s happened in the past. To get rid of that pressure, we’re gonna do this. Is Sam Howell going to push Dak Prescott? No, there’s no pressure there, I ain’t got to look over my shoulder. He ain’t starting over me.”
He added that the first thought in his mind was that Dallas could not keep a quarterback on the active roster who had performed that well, because “the whispers are, oh, they need to put so-and-so in.” Choosing Howell over Milton, he concluded, showed that “the business is a dirty business, man.”
Those close to the Cowboys have pushed back on the idea that Prescott needed shielding. The franchise has previously added quarterbacks who could have been viewed as competition, most notably Trey Lance in 2023.
Whether Milton returns to the practice squad or signs elsewhere, the episode has already illustrated how quickly a roster cut can be read as a statement about the man at the top of the depth chart.
