Cowboys' shocking Joe Milton cut will have NFL teams lined up on waivers

In an offseason where more teams than ever before seem to be hoarding quarterbacks -- a handful of teams even keeping four of them -- the Dallas Cowboys are giving a good one away.

After a really good preseason with Dallas, the Cowboys are apparently sending Joe Milton to the waiver wire. After being awarded running back Emari Demercado on waivers, the Cowboys had to make a corresponding move, an this was the one they chose to make.

Milton has elite arm strength and great athletic traits, and the Cowboys just traded for him last year. Coming off of an outstanding preseason, you would think they'd be able to trade him for something, at the very least. A number of quarterbacks were traded during roster cuts.

Now, Milton is inexplicably hitting the waiver wire, and teams should be lined up to snatch him.

Cowboys letting go of backup QB Joe Milton makes absolutely no sense

Sam Howell will now be the primary backup quarterback for Dak Prescott this season, but the decision to move on from Milton is questionable, to say the least.

Unless there was some sort of friction behind the scenes, Milton had done everything the Cowboys asked.

He completed 29-of-43 passing attempts in the preseason for 392 yards and 3 TDs, and he added another touchdown on the ground as a runner. Those are the types of numbers that solidify backup QB status, or at least make a guy attractive to other teams in a trade.

Especially considering Milton is still on his rookie contract with a base salary of just over $1 million this year, and two more years of team control. This is a head-scratcher, but it's also the second time Milton has been let go by a team in his young career.

Forget just the backup QB talk in Dallas, there were some who believed Milton had shown enough progression in the 2026 preseason that being the successor to Prescott was realistically on the table. Unless by some miraculous stroke of good fortune the Cowboys are able to sneak Milton back onto the practice squad, that idea is no more.

Which NFL teams need to step up to the plate for Joe Milton?

We could see any number of teams put in waiver claims on Milton after he was let go by the Cowboys. One of the first teams to watch out for would have to be the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys and Packers have done a number of deals in the last couple of years, and Green Bay traded Kyle McCord to the Dolphins, leaving them with just Tyrod Taylor behind Jordan Love.

If the Packers feel like Milton could be a better long-term backup option behind Love, why not put in a claim on him?

Even the Arizona Cardinals, who have arguably one of the worst QB situations in the league, might consider shuffling around their QB room for a chance to add Milton. He's talented enough that they might be willing to become the next NFL team carrying four quarterbacks.

Another interesting team to watch could be the Denver Broncos. The Broncos kept both Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger on their 53-man roster, but the idea had been floated during the offseason that the Broncos could replace Jarrett Stidham after a rough outing in the AFC Championship Game last season. That noise only got louder after some struggles in the preseason, and he is currently carrying an $8 million cap hit.

The Dolphins are putting in a ton of waiver claims, as well as shuffling around their QB position. There are a ton of options that could make sense, even off-the-wall ideas, because NFL teams are ready to jump at the chance to upgrade their QB position.

A good one is now hitting the market, thanks to Jerry Jones.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow