Latest on Dallas Cowboys QB2 Battle Entering OTAs

Joe Milton III won’t be handed the QB2 spot this year, with Sam Howell fighting for a spot.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton III throws a pass during the first half against the Los Angeles Rams. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Following the departure of long-time backup quarterback Cooper Rush, the Dallas Cowboys decided to bring in a younger QB2, adding Joe Milton III in a trade with the New England Patriots.

Milton became an instant fan favorite during the offseason as he displayed unreal athleticism for such a large human as well as a rocket arm. On the field, however, there were times when he failed to take some zip off his passes, leading to multiple incompletions.

This year, head coach Brian Schottenheimer has made it clear that Milton has to improve. Not only did they sign veteran Sam Howell, but Schottenheimer confirmed that Howell will compete for the QB2 spot behind Dak Prescott.

Competition for QB2 spot begins at OTAs

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton III drops back to pass during the third quarter against the New York Giants. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

With OTAs underway, Nick Harris of Dallas Morning News says this could be an interesting battle as Howell’s experience will give him an edge and Milton’s flashy style of play will help him. Harris also says that while the job won’t be won during OTAs, it’s still possible to see how the competition is viewed by the coaching staff.

“Howell has the upper hand when it comes to experience after having started the entirety of the 2023 season for Washington, but Milton has the flashy playmaking ability that could keep his job intact,” Harris wrote.

“Spoiler alert: No one wins a job in OTAs, but you can get a glimpse of what the coaching staff thinks about a specific position battle with how many reps each player gets during the team portions of the practices. If you see Howell and Milton splitting second-team reps, it will be a clear indication of how things look going into training camp next month.”

It would be surprising to see either Milton or Howell dominate the second-team snaps, but if one does, we’ll know who the coaching staff believes should win the job. Of course, if that’s already happening at OTAs, then it never truly was a competition.

What does Sam Howell offer as QB2?

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Howell prior to the game at Raymond James Stadium. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Howell joins Dallas with plenty of experience. A fifth-round pick out of North Carolina in 2022, Howell started 18 games for the Washington Commanders, including the entire 2023 season.

He completed 63.4 percent of his attempts for 3,946 yards, 21 touchdown passes and 21 interceptions. He was also on a team lacking elite talent on offense, which wouldn’t be the case in Dallas.

That said, his ceiling as a backup is similar to what they had in Cooper Rush. Howell can be a bus driver who completes a decent percentage of his attempts and allows the playmakers to do the heavy lifting. To sum it up, he can win in the short term, but you don’t want to go a full 17 games.

Milton, who can stretch the field much better than Howell, needs to prove he can do the little things as well. If he doesn’t, Schottenheimer could decide to roll with Howell.

—Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI—