Cowboys Coach Subtly Hints At Who's Leading QB2 Race

The backup quarterback battle for the Dallas Cowboys is a hotly contested one, with both Sam Howell and Joe Milton playing well in the 17-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

But what was a rather strange decision, at least at the time, was that Howell was given the start ahead of Milton.

Now, it is preseason, so that can mostly be taken with a grain of salt, but usually, the player who is higher on the depth chart will start, and those lower will get the snaps later in the game.

Howell finished the first half with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Camden Brown, while going 8-of-12 for 94 yards and that touchdown pass.

Milton got the second half, and like Howell, looked comfortable in the system, going 12-of 15-for 107 yards and a touchdown pass to Brown (his second).

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But we didn't know why Howell was named the starter and not Milton.

Well, head coach Brian Schottenheimer has now detailed why.

"Basically, we felt like Sam had been a little bit more consistent," Schottenheimer said. "They had both done good things, and so Sam got the start. We communicated that to Joe, and Joe took it very matter-of-factly and went out and played terrific. Both guys moved the team.

"I thought Joe was maybe in the best command of our system that he's been in since he's been here. I told him that after the game, how proud I was of him for that, but they're competing again to see [who will start] this week."

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So it is clear that the battle to see who will be Dak Prescott's backup in 2026 will go down to the wire, and if both Milton and Howell continue practicing and playing the way they are, Dallas will have a tough decision.

We know what Howell is, but Milton's upside was on full display in Seattle, and if he does get cut, there is a high chance he gets picked up by another team. Howell, not so much.

But Schottenheimer preaches "compete every day" as the mantra, and it is clear both Sam and Joe are doing just that.

And who gets the start against the Arizona Cardinals in Dallas' second preseason game might just be slightly ahead in the race to be QB2.