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With training camp less than one month away from starting on July 20, 2025, there are several position battles fans will be watching when the Dallas Cowboys being practice. Dak Prescott appears to have made a full recovery after sustaining a season-ending hamstring injury in 2024.
Behind Prescott, an intense training camp competition is expected after the front office acquired Joe Milton via trade this offseason. Veteran Will Grier returns and has familiarity with the Cowboys offense. Grier was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft with the No. 100 overall pick.
Dallas giving up draft capital to land Milton points to the strong-armed quarterback getting every opportunity to win the backup role. The Athletic’s Jon Machota predicts that the Cowboys will appoint Milton as the team’s QB2 while only keeping two quarterbacks. This means Grier would be on the outside looking in as Dallas finalizes the team’s final 53-man roster.
Let’s dive into why insiders are predicting Milton will win the backup gig.
Cowboys Rumors: Dallas Only Predicted to Keep 2 Quarterbacks on the 53-Man Roster
Outside of Prescott, the Cowboys quarterback room will look completely different in 2025. Dallas let both Cooper Rush and Trey Lance walk in free agency. The Cowboys passed on a quarterback in the NFL draft but turned to the trade market to land Milton from the New England Patriots.
“There’s no reason to keep more than two with all of the other areas on the roster that are going to be tight,” Machota wrote in a June 26, 2025, story titled, “Cowboys 53-man roster projection: One spot left open for player not on current roster.” “Dak Prescott is the obvious franchise quarterback and Joe Milton III is the obvious backup.
“Former Dallas backup Cooper Rush is now in Baltimore and the Cowboys traded a fifth-round pick for Milton. There’s really not much to debate about here. Rush was a more experienced player, but Milton has the higher upside.”
Dak Prescott Has Only Played in All 17 Games Once in the Last 5 Seasons
Given Prescott’s recent injury history, the backup quarterback battle is significant. Prescott has only played in all 17 games once in the last five seasons.
DallasCowboys.com’s Patrik Walker explored why the upcoming competition between Grier and Milton is important.
“Milton has a cannon of an arm and lacks neither escapability nor confidence,” Walker detailed in an April 16, article titled, “Group Chat: Prescott’s recovery and the spicy QB2 battle between Joe Milton, Will Grier.” “Grier is slippery, familiar with Prescott and Schottenheimer and, when emotionally charged, showed in his last preseason outing for the Cowboys that he can take an NFL defense to task.
“… It’s fair to assume Prescott, despite having battled some injuries in the recent past, has a more than solid chance at playing the majority, if not all, of the 2025 season and beyond. But in the event he misses a game or several, the battle between Grier and Milton will prove most valuable.”
Even if the Cowboys release Grier, the team could still look to bring back the veteran and sign the signal-caller to the team’s practice squad. This is assuming Grier is not claimed by another franchise if the Cowboys cut ties with the quarterback.
