The Dallas Cowboys do a lot of head-scratching things, but waiving quarterback Joe Milton III less than 24 hours after keeping him on their initial 53-man roster is certainly up there. On the surface, getting worked up over a backup quarterback might seem a little ridiculous, though this is one move the New York Giants should be all over.
Milton survived Sunday’s roster cuts before Dallas claimed running back Emari Demercado off waivers on Monday. Somebody had to go to make room, and apparently the Cowboys decided their 26-year-old QB with a rocket launcher attached to his shoulder was the guy over everyone else. Uhh, what?
Jerry Jones probably thinks Milton will sneak through waivers and land back on Dallas’ practice squad. Joe Schoen has the perfect chance to ruin that plan in spectacular fashion.
Giants shouldn’t let Joe Milton find his way back to Dallas
This isn’t the first time Milton has been loosely attached to the G-Men.
When New England shopped the former sixth-round pick in 2025, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that New York was among the teams interested in acquiring him. The Pats eventually traded Milton to Dallas, reportedly passing on a better offer elsewhere to accommodate his preferred destination.
Fast-forward a year, and Schoen can get another crack at him without surrendering any draft capital.
Milton has always been one of those quarterbacks whose physical tools make your brain start doing irresponsible things. His arm strength borders on stupid, and his limited NFL action hasn’t exactly given teams a reason to stop dreaming about the tantalizing upside yet.
He's coming off a truly impressive preseason, completing 29 of 43 passes for 378 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
The Giants don’t need Milton to become anything close to their next franchise QB. That’s Jaxson Dart’s job.
They do need to start thinking about what comes behind him long-term. The Giants only kept two QBs on the active roster, with Jake Haener stashed on the practice squad, and Jameis Winston’s contract expires after this season. Dart’s concussion history has already given Giants fans enough uncomfortable trips to the blue medical tent for one lifetime.
Claim Milton -- they're fifth in waiver priority -- let him spend a year developing behind Dart and Winston, and see what John Harbaugh’s staff can do with a 26-year-old signal-caller who possesses tools you can’t teach.
Maybe nothing comes of it. That’s life when you’re talking about developmental backup QBs. So then, what's the risk? A roster spot to carry a third QB? Feels like little risk there.
The Giants liked Milton enough to explore acquiring him once before. Now Dallas has put him right there for the taking. Whoops. Taking advantage of a Jerry Jones roster blunder would just be the cherry on top.
Add us as a preferred source on Google