This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed.
AIPROPX ReportYahoo Sports · 1h ago
Cowboys Predicted to Cut Ties With Veteran Despite $2.5 Million Guarantee
Sam Howell #16 of the Dallas Cowboys could lose his spot to Joe Milton. Getty
For a league that has a salary cap that ticked over $300 million for the first time ever this season, the structure of NFL payroll sheets is generally very tight. Teams move money around, push it into the future, with players they have some confidence they will be keeping, and are seemingly always able to carve out more with restructures to facilitate a signing or a trade. All in all, $2.5 million is not that much. Unless it is guaranteed for this season, as is the case for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Sam Howell.
Teams do not like to flat-out toss aside guaranteed money off the current year’s payroll. But with the way that the Cowboys’ training camp and preseason slate have gone, there might not be much choice.
And that’s not because Howell has done poorly thus far. In fact, he has done exactly what the Cowboys signed him to do in March: to push third-year QB Joe Milton to master the offense and staking his claim to the QB2 job behind Dak Prescott.
Cowboys QB2 Competition Not Over for Sam Howell
There is another preseason game yet to be played, against New Orleans, and coach Brian Schottenheimer has been careful to say that the QB2 competition is not over. But there is no doubt that, after his sterling performance in the win over the Cardinals on Saturday, Milton is a strong favorite.
Milton led the team by going 9-for-13 on his passes for 179 yards. He threw for two touchdowns, including a beautiful 53-yard fade to Jonathan Mingo. Milton also ran for a score and posted a 151.4 quarterback rating.
Now, according to Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News, Milton is likely in–and Howell is out. In predicting the 53-man roster, Watkins had Dak Prescott leading the quarterback room, of course, with Milton behind him. And … no Howell.
Wrote Watkins : “There is one more game left in the preseason, and Sam Howell has a chance to make his case. Milton’s performance in the second preseason game (three touchdowns, two passing and one on a QB sneak) was impressive. The Cowboys can bring Howell back to the practice squad, if needed.”
Sam Howell Had Early Lead Over Joe Milton
Certainly, that’s a switch. Coming out of training camp in Oxnard, it appeared that Howell might be the guy the Cowboys coaches were more comfortable playing. Howell underwent a full season as a starter in Washington, and though it did not go great–Howell’s Commanders were 4-13 when he was the starter in 2021–the fact that he has that experience is valued by Schottenheimer.
Milton has never started an NFL game. But he flashed enough potential to make any observer wish to see more. Sam Howell would give the Cowboys a predictable, reliable QB2 option, where Milton would have a lower floor but considerably more upside.
Cowboys ‘Really Proud’ of Joe Milton
Schottenheimer, speaking to Cowboys reporters on Monday, said Milton’s growth has his attention. That’s not necessarily bad for Sam Howell, but with the Cowboys seeking depth at key positions (cornerback, linebacker, offensive tackle), holding three quarterbacks would be difficult.
Schottenheimer said Milton’s reputation, going back to college, as a hard thrower was always irrelevant: “Everyone applauded him for how hard and how far he could throw the ball. Cool. That’s awesome. Go be in a carnival somewhere. That’s not what playing an NFL quarterback is. It’s not. …
“You got to play quarterback. And that’s what I think you see Joe learning is he’s playing quarterback. And he’s playing quarterback at a high level. He’s checking the ball down. He’s making blitz adjustments. He’s solving problems. He’s reading from his first, second to third, and even fourth progression at times. It takes time. You don’t stop learning as a quarterback. The only way to do it is to play. I’m really, really proud of him.”
Like HEAVY's content? Be sure to follow us .
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Cowboys Predicted to Cut Ties With Veteran Despite $2.5 Million Guarantee appeared first on HEAVY .
Dallas CowboysSam HowellJoe MiltonCowboys PredictedCut Ties With Veteran DespiteMillion GuaranteeHEAVYNFLTeamsAllUnlessCowboys
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.
