The Dallas Cowboys know all too well the importance of a quality backup quarterback. Cooper Rush performed reasonably well in past stints as Dak Prescott's primary reserve, but he's in Baltimore now. Absent him, Dallas has turned to second-year QB Joe Milton, a former sixth-round pick out of Tennessee.
Milton sure looks the part of a quality quarterback. He stands tall in the pocket, he's light on his feet, and he has arguably the strongest arm in the league. An absolute rocket. Unfortunately, he struggles to accurately place his passes, whether it's a downfield bomb or a quick-hitter close to the line of scrimmage.
He finished Saturday's preseason showdown with Baltimore completing just 9-of-18 passes for 122 yards and an interception. Plus, Milton was sacked standing tall in his own end zone for a safety.
joe milton is living proof that having a strong arm means literally nothing in the NFL pic.twitter.com/XiNJdAWAUO
— j 🦅 (@JoelBleedsGreen) August 16, 2025
Milton simply does not look playable. For every flash of major talent, there are two back-breaking mistakes that set the Cowboys offense back. He's whiffing on simple throws and hanging recivers out to dry. The dual-threat, big-arm ideal is a nice thought — Milton is what every NFL team wants at QB, in theory — but football is not played in theory and he lacks the baseline feel to actualize his immense gifts into productive quarterbacking.
As such, here are a few backup QBs the Cowboys should be trying to land before the season gets underway, as we know Prescott's health is never a guarantee.
Carson Wentz, free agent
Carson Wentz, a former Pro Bowl quarterback and MVP candidate in Philadelphia, has fallen a long way since his prime years. He spent last season in Kansas City, backing up Patrick Mahomes. Wentz is only 32 and he's a major talent in his own right, blessed with a strong arm and mobility that has not entirely deserted him. We shouldn't expect much, but it's a bit wild that he's still searching for a job when so many organizations need better backup QBs.
Wentz would bring years of starting experience to the Dallas QB room. He runs into turnover problems, but he can manufacture big plays and he's not half as erratic as Milton. The Cowboys are attempting to rebound from a dismal 2024 campaign. It's clear that Jerry Jones does not know how to build a winner on the margins, as evidenced by his ill-fated investments in talented-but-flawed QBs like Trey Lance and Joe Milton, who are always better in theory than in practice. Wentz would at least give the Cowboys some stability in case Prescott suffers more bad luck on the injury front.
We didn't see much of Wentz last season — he logged a single start, completing 10-of-17 passes for 98 yards and zero touchdowns or interceptions in a Week 18 loss with KC's backups — but he made seven starts for the Commanders in 2022 and was leading the Colts to a winning record in 2021, which isn't too long ago. He's nothing special, but he's a cheap (and available) free agent who can get the job done in a pinch.
Tanner McKee, Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles probably don't want to trade Tanner McKee within the division, but you can only be so precious with a backup quarterback. If the Cowboys are willing to offer a fourth-round pick, or something in that ballpark, the Eagles will at least need to debate it internally. McKee has extremely limited regular season experience, but he looks consistently excellent when called upon in the preseason. He traded blows with Joe Burrow a couple weeks ago.
McKee completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 323 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions in two games (one start) last season, including going 3-for-4 for 54 yards and two scores in a brief Week 17 cameo against Dallas. It's not unreasonable to view McKee as one of the NFL's best hidden gems. You'd be hard-pressed to find a backup quarterback who generates more confidence in his fanbase.
The Eagles can be deceptive from a player evaluation standpoint, especially on offense, because that roster is impossibly loaded. McKee won't find the same pass protection in Dallas. But, he will have CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and plenty of star talent to elevate his performance, should he be called upon.
Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns might go into the regular season with five quarterbacks on the roster, which is simply a poor allocation of resources for a team with so many other holes to fill. Shedeur Sanders never should have been available in the fifth round — we know this, the whole NFL probably knows it — but he did. Cleveland has another rookie in direct competition with Sanders in Dillon Gabriel, as well as three veterans of varying repute in Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson.
Sanders looked good in his preseason debut. Better than Gabriel did this week, although both were generally impressive. Kevin Stefanski is expected to name his QB1 soon. Odds are Sanders will not get the nod, even after a strong training camp. There is just too much stacked against him in Cleveland.
If the Browns stick with Sanders as QB4, odds are both sides would benefit from a trade. Cleveland can probably net at least a fifth-round pick, maybe even more, after what Sanders has shown throughout camp. That balances out the investment. Meanwhile, Sanders can go to a team like Dallas, where he has a more direct line to meaningful snaps. Learning from Dak Prescott and being in the same organization his father once played for couldn't hurt either.