Certainly, if every game the Dallas Cowboys were to play looked something like your average preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, not only would the team be undefeated, but quarterback Joe Milton might well be destined for in the Hall of Fame.
Lodged in a battle for the role of backup to Dak Prescott, Milton staked his claim to the job over the more experienced Sam Howell on Saturday night with a sterling performance against the rebuilding Cards. Milton went 9-for-13 on his passes for 179 yards. He threw for two touchdowns, including a beautiful 53-yard fade to Jonathan Mingo, and ran for a score.
When it was over, Milton had posted a 151.4 quarterback rating. Again, it’s a preseason game against a team that might not win five games this season. But the fact remains that Mliton has shown as much progress as from July of 2025 to this August.
So, maybe it is time to trade him.
Joe Milton Has Had a Long Road to Cowboys
That’s the thought from former Cowboys scout Brian Broaddus, who now is a team analyst for 105.3 The Fan in Dallas and elsewhere. Milton has been a much-criticized quarterback going back to his collegiate days, when he landed at Michigan with arguably the strongest arm of any QB in the nation. But Milton was lacking almost everywhere else–game management, decision-making, accuracy–and could not seize the starting job for the Wolverines.
He transferred to Tennessee and finally got one starting season with the Vols, but had not polished up his game at all, and wound up falling to the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft, where the Patriots took him. New England sent Milton to Dallas for a fifth-round pick last offseason.
Cowboys Could Cash in With Trade
What we’ve seen in 2026 Cowboys camp has been a different Milton altogether. The arm strength is there, but there is poise and command of the offense, good communication and decision making. Unfortunately, with Prescott as the starter, Milton is just not going to play in Dallas until Prescott retires, which is still a long while off.
Milton is already 26, though, and needs to get on the field now. He may be in his 30s by the time Prescott leaves Dallas. Maybe the best thing for the Cowboys to do is move Milton for a draft asset and stick with Howell as the QB2.
Said Broaddus: “Can I interest you in trading Joe Milton? Is this going to be the best value you have for Joe Milton? If you’re thinking Dak Prescott, three-to-four years—aren’t you kind of thinking that right now? You gave a (fifth-rounder) for him, right? Could you get a three for him? Could you get somebody desperate to give you a two for Joe Milton?”
‘Really, Really Proud’ of Joe Milton
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer, for one, considers himself a Milton fan. He acknowledged the considerable growth of the QB from his arrival in Ann Arbor in 2018 to his showing in Arizona in 2026.
Said Schottenheimer: “I first remember hearing about Joe Milton when he was at the University of Michigan and everyone applauded him for how hard and how far he could throw the ball. Cool. That’s awesome. Go be in a carnival somewhere. That’s not what playing an NFL quarterback is. It’s not. … You’re throwing through small windows, you’re throwing over people, you’re changing arm slots.
“So to me, arm strength is cool. Go to the fair and win a teddy bear. But you got to play quarterback. And that’s what I think you see Joe learning is he’s playing quarterback. And he’s playing quarterback at a high level. He’s checking the ball down. He’s making blitz adjustments. He’s solving problems. He’s reading from his first, second to third, and even fourth progression at times. It takes time. You don’t stop learning as a quarterback. The only way to do it is to play. I’m really, really proud of him.”
Cowboys Surprise Joe Milton Trade Floated by Ex-Scout