The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to terms with quarterback Sam Howell on a one-year deal worth $X million. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report the news.
Howell, 25, joins Dak Prescott, Joe Milton and Will Grier in the Cowboys’ quarterback room, as he will provide training camp competition to Milton and Grier to back up Prescott.
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 draft by the Washington Commanders, Howell’s first career game and start came against the Cowboys in his rookie year. In the regular season finale, Howell threw for 169 yards and one touchdown in the 26-6 Dallas win.
The next season, he was handed the reins to be the starting quarterback throughout the year. In playing all 17 games, Howell threw for 3,946 yards, 21 touchdowns and a league-leading 21 interceptions. He also took a league-high 65 sacks. He added 263 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
In the following offseason, Howell was traded to the Seattle Seahawks where he backed up starter Geno Smith. He played in two games and threw for just 24 yards on 14 attempts. After Seattle acquired Sam Darnold and Drew Lock in the 2025 offseason and drafted Jalen Milroe, Howell was once again traded to the Minnesota Vikings.
Howell spent training camp in Minnesota before being traded for a third time to the Philadelphia Eagles in August. He spent time on both the practice squad and active roster as the third quarterback on the depth chart backing up Jalen Hurts and Tanner McKee.
A native of Union County, N.C., Howell will join Grier as two quarterbacks in the position room from The Tar Heel State. He attended Sun Valley High School where he threw for 13,415 yards and 145 touchdowns while rushing for 3,621 yards and 60 touchdowns.
He went on to attend the University of North Carolina where he twice led the ACC in passing touchdowns and once in passing yards. In three seasons in Chapel Hill, he threw for 10,283 yards and 92 touchdowns while rushing for 1,009 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Howell is the fifth player acquired by the Cowboys since the opening of the legal tampering period on Monday, joining safety Jalen Thompson, defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia, safety P.J. Locke and defensive end Rashan Gary who was acquired in a trade. He is the first on the offensive side of the ball.