Dallas Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton, a former Tennessee Vols starter, served as the primary backup to Dak Prescott last season.

Milton, though, isn’t guaranteed to serve in that same role in 2026.

The former Vol, who was traded from the New England Patriots to the Cowboys before the 2025 season, is battling veteran journeyman Sam Howell for the No. 2 quarterback job in Dallas this summer.

Going into minicamp and OTAs, the feeling was that Milton would have an advantage over Howell due to his one season of experience in the Cowboys’ offense.

But that doesn’t appear to be the case.

The Cowboys made an interesting change to the backup QB competition this week

After receiving the No. 2 reps last week, Milton is working as the No. 3 quarterback this week.

This doesn’t technically mean that Milton is running behind in the competition — at least not yet. Instead, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters on Tuesday that the two quarterbacks are splitting reps as the competition unfolds this summer.

“We’re rotating them evenly,” said Schottenheimer. “The first week it was Joe getting most of the twos, and Sam mixing in. And this week it’s the other way around. But it’s going to be a fun competition, and I love how they’re pushing each other to be great.”

Schottenheimer was specifically asked in a follow-up question if Milton didn’t do enough last season for the Cowboys to feel confident in him as the backup quarterback.

“I think we’re always trying to raise the level and improve the (quarterback) room any chance we get,” said Schottenheimer. “… You’re always looking to build as much depth as you can. And a guy like Sam Howell — when you think about it, it’s crazy. Sam Howell has more starts than (former Cowboys backup quarterback) Cooper Rush. Which is because [Howell] started the one year in Washington. He’s been exposed to a lot. He’s been in a lot of different systems, which I think is great for all of us.”

There’s clearly a lot of coach speak going on there.

Dallas traded for Milton a year ago and had him operate as the backup quarterback for the entire season (he played in four games). And then they signed a quarterback in Howell who is actually younger than Milton. It’s early June and they’re already splitting reps evenly.

Who do you think is going to win this competition? The quarterback with zero career starts or the quarterback with 18 career starts?

Nothing is settled, so maybe Milton has a great summer and wins the job. But we saw this exact same situation unfold with former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker last season with the Detroit Lions — Hooker lost the backup quarterback battle to free agent addition Kyle Allen and was quickly shipped out of Detroit.

If the Cowboys felt confident in Milton, they’d show it with their actions. And they’re certainly not showing that right now.