A year after the Cowboys wasted a fourth-round pick on a one-year backup quarterback in Trey Lance, they sent a fifth-rounder to New England for Joe Milton III and a seventh-round selection.
This time around, the Cowboys think they got a steal.
Before Saturday’s preseason opener against the Rams, owner and G.M. Jerry Jones was asked about Milton.
“I really have to pinch myself that we got him after the last game that he had up there, starting there for New England,” Jones told Kristi Scales of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “I’m just excited that we had a chance to get him. And he hasn’t disappointed. He’s actually — we’re just more and more encouraged by what we’re seeing.”
There’s a belief that the Patriots bailed on Milton because he wasn’t willing to embrace his status as clear No. 2 to Drake Maye — and because his assessment may have not been inaccurate. The Pats are all in with Maye, and they need the locker room to feel the same way.
In L.A., Milton completed 17 of 29 throws for 143 yards, with a touchdown and an interception, in nine drives. He also ran for 22 yards on five carries.
The passing performance generated a passer rating of 68.6.
Milton exited during the fourth quarter after injuring his elbow. The Cowboys have downplayed it as a bruise.
For now, Milton is the guy who will be playing if starter Dak Prescott, who missed nine games in 2024 with a hamstring injury, suffers anything more than a bruise.
