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New Cowboys quarterback “blessed” to be with Dallas.
Joe Milton III has gone from backup to backup after a trade following his rookie season, but he’s nonetheless ecstatic to be with the Cowboys as he continues to forge his NFL career. A sixth-round pick of the Patriots in the 2024 draft, Milton was set to sit behind Drake Maye, selected at No. 3 overall during the same draft, for potentially the duration of his rookie contract. He instead made the most of his shot during a start in New England’s regular-season finale, flashing enough talent for Dallas to trade for the QB.
“Was I surprised? Yes,” Milton said of being moved, via the team website. “I kind of woke up around, like, 7 o’clock, to a call and I knew I was getting traded.” Surprise, notably, does not equal discontent. Milton’s feelings are quite the opposite in Big D, where he will be locked in competition with Will Grier for the backup quarterback job behind Dak Prescott.
“The only thing I could have done, well, the only thing I did at that moment was to thank God,” Milton said. “Coming here was a blessing. I didn’t know it was going to be here. ... I didn’t know where I was going to end up. “I was just thankful to go to work. [But now I’m] back in the heat, for one. He allowed me to play in the dome, for two. And, three, it’s America’s team. Also, it’s just great to learn from someone like Dak.”
Although Maye quickly established himself as likely the real deal in New England, Milton comes to a situation in Dallas in which the starter blocking his way is even more entrenched.
Prescott is the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback by a wide margin, with his annual average of $60 million topping the three signal-callers tied for second behind him — Joe Burrow, Josh Allen and Jordan Love — by $5 million per year. However, the Cowboys’ backup quarterback remains of vital importance given Prescott’s injury history.
The soon-to-be 32-year-old is coming off a season-ending injury in which his hamstring tendon partially tore off the bone. He’s fully healthy now and ready to make another go at ending Dallas’ title drought, but he’s missed 25 games over the past five seasons.
Milton is turning heads in Dallas.
For years, the Dallas Cowboys opted for a steady, veteran game manager as their backup quarterback behind Dak Prescott in Cooper Rush. No longer is that the plan behind Prescott. Now, Dallas has a rocket-armed youngster behind Prescott in second-year quarterback Joe Milton.
His OTA...
