Total Pro Sports
Dak Prescott may be the one man holding him back from the starting quarterback job right now, but Joe Milton III isn’t letting the competition affect their friendship.
In April, the Dallas Cowboys acquired Joe Milton and a seventh-round pick from the New England Patriots in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Milton is the No. 2 QB on the depth chart behind Dak Prescott, who enters year one of a $240 million extension.
The Patriots selected Milton in the sixth round (193rd overall) last year. He debuted in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills, throwing for 241 yards and a touchdown in a 23-16 victory (Buffalo mostly played its backups after locking down the No. 2 seed).
Speaking to reporters at training camp, Milton had nothing but good things to say about Prescott, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota.
“Dak is a great leader,” Joe Milton said. “All respect to him. He literally goes out of his way to help me.” “I’ve been in another building. I know how that goes. It’s just very different over here.”
Cowboys QB Joe Milton has been surprised by how much Dak Prescott has helped him. “Dak is a great leader. … All respect to him. He literally goes out of his way to help me.”
“I’ve been in another building. I know how that goes. It’s just very different over here.” pic.twitter.com/30pPwCxN9V
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 24, 2025
The Cowboys let backups Cooper Rush and Trey Lance walk in free agency. The former’s departure was a surprise given his strong performances as Prescott’s understudy, going 9-5 with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Rush signed with the Baltimore Ravens to back up Lamar Jackson, while Lance agreed to a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Patriots opened the 2024 season with veteran Jacoby Brissett as their starting quarterback, though the keys were eventually handed to rookie Drake Maye. That obviously meant limited playing time for Milton as a rookie.
But Joe Milton should see more playing time with the Cowboys in 2025. As a high-scoring team that plays in its fair share of blowout games, Dallas is sure to be in multiple “garbage time” moments that will open the door for Milton to take over the offense.
Given his dual-threat ability and elite athleticism, Milton might also be used in trick plays and RPOs under rookie head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
