Cowboys QB Named Biggest ‘Loser’ After Shaky Preseason Debut

“Milton lit up the Rams defense in joint practices, but Los Angeles’ defense turned the tables on him Saturday,” Moton wrote. “The second-year signal-caller completed 17 out of 29 passes for 143 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He exited in the fourth quarter with an elbow injury. Milton’s stat line could’ve been worse if Rams defenders hadn’t dropped interceptions in the first half. He also overthrew receivers multiple times.”

Trying to Temper Expectations for Milton

Whatever Cowboys fans think they’re getting out of Milton, the truth is they’re trying to develop him into a semi-competent backup quarterback at some point in the near future. That means someone who can come in and not lose games for them if and when starter Dak Prescott goes down with another injury.

For as much dirt got shoveled on the Cowboys last season with Prescott out for the final 8 games, what might have been lost in all of that was that their backup quarterback, Cooper Rush, was actually pretty decent.

In 8 starts last year, Rush went 4-4 with 1,840 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. That’s solid.

Rush played out a 2-year, $5 million contract he signed with the Cowboys before the 2023 season and signed a 2-year, $6.2 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens in March — 2 weeks before the Milton trade.

If Cowboys Tank … Milton Might Get His Shot

The only scenario in which it seems plausible for the Cowboys to give Milton a shot at starting quarterback is if they completely go in the tank in 2025, which isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay put the Cowboys at the top of his list of NFL teams who could be aggressive sellers at this year’s trade deadline — code for teams who will be out of playoff contention by the midseason mark.

“With Prescott heading into his age-32 season and coming off a hamstring injury that could lead to further regression, the Cowboys could be farther from a championship than ever,” Kay wrote on June 24. “Given how desperate ownership is to make it back to the biggest stage — it’s been three decades since Dallas reached the NFC Championship Game, let alone the Super Bowl — and a potential replacement for Prescott waiting in the wings in Joe Milton III, it may not be long before the Cowboys elect to initiate a roster overhaul.”

Milton Needs to Work on Basic Fundamentals

Dallase seemed to have more success when they kept things simple for Milton, as pointed out by Cowboys podcaster Dan Rogers on his official X account.

“I don’t mind the Cowboys coaching staff allowing Joe Milton to come out firing. Let’s see what he’s got,” Rogers wrote on August 10. “But I did like it when they designed some easy stuff to build his confidence. It worked. His last 10 throws were all well-placed balls. It was a night-and-day difference.”