It has often been said that there is nobody more popular on a football team than the backup quarterback. That may not be so literally true regarding the Dallas Cowboys of now.
Dak Prescott remains in place at one of the more polarizing positions in sports, but it does feel like for the most part football fans in general acknowledge that he is one of the better players of his position. Postseason success sure wouldn’t hurt, though.
While Dak may not be under duress from a backup in his own building,
the role of QB2 remains critical nonetheless. Regarding Dak specifically, it is important to remember that he has a bit of an injury concern in recent years and so being prepared for that hypothetical is never a bad idea.
This is where training camp is going to help mine an answer.
Sam Howell is going to be very important throughout camp
Is Joe Milton the backup quarterback on this team right now? If you answered yes, did you do so confidently?
There is a lot to like about Milton and his athletic profile. There is zero doubt that he is an intriguing prospect and someone who may be molded into a proper NFL signal-caller. He can also throw it a mile.
Unfortunately, Milton doesn’t exactly have a ton of NFL experience. He does have that within the Cowboys as he was the team’s primary backup last year, but the front office and coaching staff didn’t bring in Sam Howell for no reason at all.
This is the case because Howell has legitimate NFL starts to his name. In fact, Howell has an entire season’s worth of starts on his resumé. Howell was Washington’s starter across the entire 2023 season. He even earned a place in Cowboys lore that season as it was his interception which DaRon Bland returned for a touchdown to set the record for most in a single season, a feat that Jim Nantz brilliantly called on Thanksgiving Day.
Obviously a season where the Commanders won four games and Howell etched his name in Cowboys history with an interception of all things isn’t worth throwing a party over; however, Howell fits the archetype of backup quarterback. He is still young, he’ll be 26 soon, and has faced the fire that playing quarterback in the NFL commands. Simply put, he has lived this job in ways that Joe Milton hasn’t. That was obviously interesting enough to the team for them to bring him in.
Given that the Cowboys have such an obvious answer at starting quarterback, the pressure throughout camp is going to be on the backup position, again, especially if we acknowledge Prescott’s medical history. What’s more is that Prescott may earn himself a veteran day or two, and on those days the primary backup is even going to get to work with the starters. The position is valuable and whoever holds it has to be a proper caretaker.
Modern NFL rules are such that it is practical for teams to carry three quarterbacks on their roster, so nobody is in danger of losing their actual spot on the team. But it is imperative for the Cowboys to find and establish an answer regarding who their second in command will be.
