Joe Milton appeared earlier in the preseason to be the front-runner to be QB2 for the Cowboys, but the team waived him Monday. Sam Hodde / Getty ImagesAug. 31, 2026 Updated 4:44 pm EDTIn a surprising move, the Dallas Cowboys waived backup quarterback Joe Milton on Monday, a day after he was on the team’s initial 53-man roster. He struggled a bit in Dallas’ final preseason game Friday after he was outstanding in the first two, but Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said the backup battle between Milton and Sam Howell was “neck-and-neck.”It’s also somewhat surprising that the Cowboys couldn’t get anything in return via trade for Milton if they were willing to part with him.Dallas claimed Kansas City Chiefs running back Emari Demercado off waivers earlier Monday, and Milton was the corresponding move.“The competition’s not over,” Schottenheimer said Monday of the backup QB battle, about an hour before the move was announced. “We need to just continue to assess so many positions, but those guys have made it really, really hard on us, and it’s been an awesome competition, and we’re still piecing the puzzle together, and that’s where this thing is very fluid.”Could Dallas Cowboys have the NFL's No. 1 offense in 2026?Derrik KlassenIn the Cowboys’ final preseason game Friday against the New Orleans Saints — a 27-24 loss — Milton completed 8 of 15 passes for 92 yards. Howell finished 12-for-18 for 155 yards and a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes. If nothing else changes before the Cowboys open the season on “Sunday Night Football” on Sept. 13 against the New York Giants, Howell will be Dak Prescott’s backup.