Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Joe Milton is going to have a similar experience this summer as his former UT teammate Hendon Hooker had last summer.

Last year, Hooker entered the offseason looking like he was going to be the Detroit Lions’ backup quarterback in 2025.

Detroit, however, signed veteran quarterback Kyle Allen during the first wave of free agency, which signaled that Hooker would need to win the job.

Unfortunately for the former Vol, Allen ended up winning the backup job, leading to Hooker’s release just before the start of the season (Hooker spent time with the Carolina Panthers before landing with the New York Jets).

Joe Milton is about to go through the same experience that Hendon Hooker went through last summer with the Lions

Milton, who is entering his second season with the Dallas Cowboys after arriving from the New England Patriots via trade, was the backup to starting quarterback Dak Prescott in 2025. The assumption going into the offseason was that Milton would settle into the same role with the Cowboys in 2026.

But that may not be the case.

Earlier this week, the Cowboys signed veteran quarterback Sam Howell to compete with Milton for the backup job.

Howell has started 18 career games in the NFL. Milton, meanwhile, has one de facto start, which came during his rookie season in 2024 with the Patriots (starter Drake Maye played one series before Milton entered the game).

“What Milton apparently didn’t give the Cowboys was enough confidence that if something happened to Prescott he could win a game for them,” wrote Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. “It’s the reason Howell is headed to Texas.”

Watkins also wrote that “Milton was put on notice” by the Cowboys.

Maybe Milton will have a better outcome than Hooker did in Detroit. Either way, the Cowboys made it clear that Milton’s spot as the backup to Prescott is anything but locked in.