Six-time Pro Bowler has some strong thoughts on why the Dallas Cowboys released former Tennessee QB Joe Milton
Former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback was surprisingly released by the Dallas Cowboys on Monday afternoon.
The Dallas Cowboys released former Tennessee Vols quarterback Joe Milton on Monday, signaling that Sam Howell will serve as the primary backup to starter Dak Prescott in 2026.
Milton looked solid during the preseason and flashed some big-play ability, but Dallas chose experience over upside by going with Howell (18 career starts).
The move generated plenty of discussion, including an interesting theory from former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson.
Johnson said on Nightcap on Monday that the first thing that came to his mind when he saw the news was that the Cowboys got rid of Milton because they didn’t want fans or media calling for him if Prescott struggles.
“When I saw it on Twitter…the first thing that went through my head was, you know what — we can’t have a quarterback on the active roster that played that well,” said Johnson. “And if things don’t go well, the whispers are, ‘Oh they need to put so-and-so in’ and see how he can do.”
Johnson added that he doesn’t think the Cowboys will be in that situation with Prescott.
I mean, that sounds good on a podcast, but I don’t think that’s the reality of what happened here.
Dak Prescott struggling would mean much bigger problems for Dallas
If Prescott struggles, the Cowboys have way bigger problems than the fan base calling for the backup. Prescott is their guy. At his best, he has played at an MVP-caliber level. If Prescott is struggling while having George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb as options in the passing game, then Dallas is in a world of trouble. Fans calling for the backup would be the least of their problems.
As talented as Milton is, the former Vol doesn’t have a lot of starting experience in the NFL. Milton has played in five regular season games with 53 career pass attempts. There’s a lot of growth that happens for quarterbacks regardless of their age simply by playing in games. There are things you see in a regular season game that you don’t see in the preseason or in a late-season game where neither team is really playing for anything.
That’s not to discredit what Milton has done in those situations. It’s just acknowledging that he doesn’t have that experience. Howell, on the other hand, has a little bit more experience in that area.
I don’t think there’s any doubt that Milton is the more talented player, but the Cowboys aren’t looking for a project to develop behind Prescott. They’re looking for a guy who can finish the game if something happens to their starter. If Prescott were to be out long term, I think Dallas would probably make a move to find a different quarterback to start for the rest of the season – I don’t think Howell would be their rest-of-the-season option.
I think this just came down to the Cowboys feeling like Howell could operate the offense better in a pinch than Milton could.
There’s also another detail that squashes Johnson’s theory. If Milton was really a hot commodity, Dallas would have been able to trade him before releasing him. If you can get a late-round draft pick back (especially after you gave up a fifth-round pick last year to acquire him), then the Cowboys absolutely would have done that. But nobody was interested in making that move, so they released him.
The Cowboys want Milton back on the practice squad. That alone suggests that this wasn’t about protecting Prescott from potential fan backlash.
