The Dallas Cowboys agreed to a one-year deal with former Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders QB Sam Howell on Tuesday night, a team source confirmed to The Athletic. ESPN first reported the deal.
Adding Howell is somewhat surprising considering that the Cowboys already have franchise quarterback Dak Prescott, the NFL’s highest-paid player, Joe Milton and Will Grier in the QB room.
Milton was Dallas’ backup last season after the Cowboys traded a fifth-round pick to the New England Patriots for him and a seventh-rounder.
The addition of Howell means competition for Milton at the backup spot. Howell has started 18 NFL games, all coming with the Washington Commanders. Milton has only played in five NFL games.
Grier had been Dallas’ No. 3 quarterback. He was signed to a reserve/futures contract last month.
How he fits
The Cowboys appeared to have their quarterback room settled entering the offseason with Prescott as the franchise guy, Milton as the backup and Grier as the No. 3. Adding Howell indicates that they want competition for Milton.
Howell, a fifth-round pick in 2022, has starting experience with the Commanders. He started all 17 games during Washington’s 4-13 season in 2023. He threw for 3,946 yards with 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions that season. He also had five rushing touchdowns.
Milton’s strong arm gives him a higher upside, but Howell’s experience could be something that makes for an interesting training camp and preseason battle between the two.
2026 roster impact
Prescott and Milton are going to be on the roster. The Cowboys are unlikely to move on from a third-year player they used a fifth-round pick on last year. Now, Howell could beat him out for the No. 2 job, pushing Milton to No. 3.
Grier is the odd man out. He was signed to a reserve/futures contract last month, but the Cowboys wouldn’t have made this move if they thought Grier was a part of their future.
Cap update
It’s a one-year deal but the dollar amount has not yet been revealed. Don’t expect a big number here. As soon as Dallas made Prescott the highest-paid player in the game, their spending on any other QB was never going to be noteworthy. It’s likely to be an incentive-laden contract to where Howell gets a significant pay increase if he ends up playing in games.
Machota’s takeaways
It’s a little surprising because Milton looked to be locked in as Prescott’s backup for another season. Clearly the Cowboys need to see a lot more from him this offseason, in training camp and in the preseason. They wouldn’t be making this move if they were completely certain about Milton’s future as their 2026 backup.