The Dallas Cowboys are heading into the 2026 NFL season with a ton of expectations. After missing the playoffs in back-to-back years, they’ve tried to fix virtually every weakness on the roster.
After making their cuts to confirm the 53-man roster, the franchise made one of the more puzzling moves of the offseason as they cut backup quarterback Joe Milton.
A two-time Super Bowl champion believes the move was in service of QB1 Dak Prescott. Fans, unfortunately, disagree.
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The entire situation came about after Milton, who had shown flashes of brilliance during the past two years and in preseason, was cut by the Cowboys in favor of Sam Howell as their backup quarterback.
On the latest episode of “Deebo and Joe,” the James Harrison and Joe Haden duo got into the potential reasons for the move. They even asked, “Was this move by Jerry [Jones] to protect Dak?”
“Again, a [expletive] question by players who played the game,” veteran Dallas reporter Clarence Hill Jr. wrote on X. With nearly 30 years of experience covering the Cowboys, Hill added, “Still clueless as a dude in mom’s basement cosplaying as a content creator.”
Again a dumb question by players who played the game
Still clueless as a dude in moms basement cosplaying as a content creator https://t.co/EBrvWIV2i4— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) September 2, 2026
One fan directly addressed their question, firing back, “Protect Dak from what??? Be serious.” Others pointed to the irony of the situation, with Milton not being picked up as a free agent even after being released by the Cowboys.
“He’s so good [that] all 32 teams are ‘protecting’ their starters from him.”
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Jeff Cavanaugh of the DLLS Cowboys, too, had a similar problem. Sarcastically admitting, “It’s a great point,” he went nuclear on the Steelers duo.
It’s a great point. The other 31 teams who didn’t claim him also are protecting their starter who would be afraid of Bazooka Joe. It’s tough.
— Jeff Cavanaugh (@timeforjeffrey) September 2, 2026
“The other 31 teams who didn’t claim him are also protecting their starter, who would be afraid of Bazooka Joe. It’s tough.” For some fans, the focus on the Cowboys was because of their popularity.
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“Cowboys are so good for views, even got former Steelers Players doing podcasts to talk about them for the clicks, and Joe Milton is so good, all 32 teams are ‘protecting’ their starters from him.”
#Cowboys are so good for views even got former Steelers Players doing podcasts to talk about them for the clicks 😆 and Joe Milton is so good all 32 teams are “protecting ” their starters from him 😂😂😂 https://t.co/UNl8sLtvTn
— Law Nation Media (@LawsNation) September 2, 2026
Earlier in the week, Chad Johnson had also made similar insinuations about Prescott and how he fit into the entire situation. But for a lot of fans, the direction from former players was rather bizarre.
It’s unlikely that we get a direct answer for why the Cowboys cut Milton from the roster in the first place. However, after no team claimed him on waivers, the 26-year-old was brought back to the practice squad.
