Cowboys Bring In Sam Howell With Dak's Future Still Unsettled

Sam Howell is in camp, which tells you something about where things stand with Dak Prescott. The Cowboys signed Howell this week, and the timing is not subtle — Prescott remains unsigned to a long-term deal, and Dallas arrived at training camp without a credible backup on the roster. That's a gap the organization clearly decided it could no longer leave open.

Prescott is listed as questionable heading into camp, which adds another layer to an already unsettled situation. Last season he threw for 4,552 yards and 30 touchdowns across 17 games, and the offense was functional enough to win close games at a solid clip early in the year. The problem was everything around him — the defense eroded, the team went 4-6 down the stretch, and Dallas finished 7-10. Losing that quarterback, even briefly, would have been unmanageable without a real backup in place.

Howell slots in behind Prescott on the depth chart, with Joe Milton third. Neither has meaningful production with this team, so the room is thin beyond the starter. My read is that Howell is here specifically because the front office wanted a name it could point to if the Prescott talks drag past camp — someone who has started NFL games and can run an offense, even if he's not the answer long-term.

The bigger question is whether this is a short-term patch or the beginning of a more complicated quarterback situation. Dallas still needs Prescott. But they needed a backup first, and now they have one.