Grading the signing: Dallas Cowboys make a very telling move at quarterback
The Dallas Cowboys are set at QB1 with Dak Prescott. But the depth chart is getting intriguing real quick.
The Dallas Cowboys quarterback room is getting a little crowded.
On Tuesday night, reports surfaced on the Cowboys agreeing to a one-year deal with quarterback Sam Howell.
Howell, a former fifth-round pick out of North Carolina, is entering Year 5 of his NFL career, which has been mostly spent in the bench. And while Howell has played in only two games since the start of the 2024 season, his arrival at Dallas is quite telling.
Cowboys evaluating QB2 position
We know Dak Prescott is starting for the Cowboys. But it sure seems like the team isn’t sold on Joe Milton as the backup quarterback.
Last April, the Cowboys traded a sixth-round pick for Milton in hopes they could translate his big-time arm into viable football at QB2. They didn’t succeed. In the preseason, Milton was consistently off-target, often as a result of putting too much power on his throws.
Things didn’t get better in the regular season. Though he didn’t play enough to quality in leaguewide rankings, his on-target percentage sat at 65.2%, per Pro Football Reference. That number would have ranked dead-last among 42 qualifying quarterbacks.
There’s not one stat that tells you if a quarterback is good or bad. But accuracy being that low should be a major concern for Milton, who’s been dealing with similar issues since his time in college.
The Cowboys know if Prescott goes down with a long-term injury, they stand no shot. But they also know the right backup quarterback can keep a season alive. I don’t blame them for looking into other options at backup quarterback because it’s tough to buy into the idea of Milton right now.
They also brought back Will Grier earlier in the offseason.
Grading the Sam Howell signing
It’s tough to grade a quarterback who didn’t play a single down last season, but here’s what we know about Howell: He’s a gunslinger with some wow throws on film but that will take too many risks.
He started a full season in 2023 and finished Top 10 in big-time throws yet he led the NFL in turnover-worthy plays, per PFF. For the season, he ranked 23rd in quarterback efficiency, per RBSDM.
I wouldn’t get too excited about Howell so I won’t go crazy with the grade, but I do like that the Cowboys are getting some competition going on at quarterback.
FINAL GRADE: C+
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