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By cutting Milton now, they are rolling into the 2026 season with just Prescott and Howell. The Bills recently signed Shane Buechele to the practice squad, suggesting they are actively thinking about quarterback depth going into the new year.
“The fact that they chose Sam Howell over Joe Milton despite how Joe Milton played, I mean, this is dirty business in general,” Johnson said on the podcast. The Dallas Cowboys cut Joe Milton on final roster cutdown day, even after the quarterback turned heads during the preseason. Sam Howell stays. Dak Prescott stays. And former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson is not buying the official version of events. On his Night Cap podcast with Shannon Sharpe, Johnson came out swinging, calling the decision what he genuinely believes it to be: franchise politics dressed up as a roster move. Chad Johnson made his position clear without much hedging. He thinks Dallas chose to protect Dak Prescott from the uncomfortable optics of a cheaper, younger quarterback visibly outperforming him. That is a sharp accusation. Milton came in and performed well enough that keeping him would have been defensible on pure football merit. But football decisions inside a franchise are rarely made on pure football merit alone, and Johnson knows that better than most. When you have a quarterback on a massive contract whose job security has been debated all offseason, the last thing the organization wants is a backup making the starter look replaceable. Shannon Sharpe added another layer to it. He pointed out that Milton was essentially a bargain. A cheap, high-upside quarterback who performed well costs a team almost nothing financially, but the optics of keeping him around could cost the franchise something else: Prescott’s confidence, or at minimum, the public perception of his grip on the starting job. Where could Joe Milton land after being waived by the Cowboys? Milton now goes through the waiver wire, and if he clears it, Dallas could theoretically bring him back on the practice squad. But there is a more interesting possibility out there. The Buffalo Bills are being mentioned as a potential suitor. Buffalo already has Josh Allen locked in at QB1 and Kyle Allen behind him, but analysts from Football Guys and FanSided have floated Milton as a realistic fit for their QB3 role. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
Dallas entered roster cutdowns carrying all three quarterbacks and reportedly had plans to use either Milton or Howell as trade bait before the November deadline. Whether that was the plan all along, or whether someone made a call to remove a potential embarrassment before the season even started, is exactly the question Johnson is raising.
What happened in Dallas, at least according to Johnson, was never really about ability. For Milton, landing in Buffalo would not be the worst outcome. A room anchored by Josh Allen offers a chance to learn, stay active in the league, and potentially resurface elsewhere. His physical tools are not in question. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.