Dallas Cowboys cash in on risky Joe Milton gamble as they get the best of both worlds
The Dallas Cowboys wanted Joe Milton back on the practice squad. And they’re getting away with it after 48 hours of drama.
Waiving quarterback Joe Milton on Monday was a big surprise by the Dallas Cowboys. It was also a significant risk—one that paid off in the end.
That’s because Milton is back on the team, only this time he’s a part of the practice squad, not the 53-man roster. On Tuesday, Milton cleared waivers. Now he’s back on the Cowboys, who expressed they wanted him back on the practice squad.
To be honest, how this thing shook out is somewhat of a surprise given head coach Brian Schottenheimer said “there was definitely people interested in Joe.” If there was, Milton cleary passed on it.
“To have Joe Milton back would be incredible,” Schottenheimer said earlier in the week. “We’ll see what happens with the claims and see what he wants to do [. . .] He should have choices.”
So what now for Milton? Schottenheimer recently explained his decision to waive the quarterback and it lays out what he needs to work on before climbing up the depth chart again.
Schottenheimer on Joe Milton’s
Despite Milton’s strong preseason play, Howell was ahead of him prior to the preseason opener due to his performance on training camp. Closing out the preseason completing 11-of-13 passes helped him secure the QB2 job.
As for what Milton still needs to work on, Schottenheimer inidcated it’s more about the intricacies of the position than anything else.
“This is what guys who come from that spread system have to deal with,” Schottenheimer explained. “In terms of the learning curve of coming in and having to learn how to huddle, and call a play in the huddle, and make different decisions, and it’s not all done from hand signals from the sideline. Some of it takes a little bit of time.”
As boring as it may sound to the casual fan, it’s just the reality of the quarterback position. Sometimes it’s not about making all the throws or being able to extend plays. It’s about commanding the offense between snaps. Now he gets more time to learn the position without the pressure of having to be Dak Prescott’s backup.
Did Milton make the right call returning to the Cowboys? It’s impossible to know without hearing what other offers he had (or if any). But Schottenheimer’s pitch was clear.
“I think we’ve shown that we know how to develop him,” Schottenheimer said. “I think him being in this system for another year would be amazing.”
Cowboys QB decision has to do with win now mindset
One more thing that became clear was the Cowboys deciding to waive Milton was also the result of roster management. Specifically, carrying three quarterbacks was seen as too much of a luxury for a team with a win-now mentality.
“We’ve made it very clear, when you’re pursuing championships and you want to win now, we’re trying to build the best team possible,” Schottenheimer said. “We felt like carrying two quarterbacks was the best way for us to strengthen our roster.”
Now they have their cake and eat it, too.* They use only two roster spots on quarterbacks yet keep a developmental QB in Milton relatively safe on the practice squad.
*Note: Yeah, I’ve never understood this expression, either. But if others will use it, darn it, so will I!
