FRISCO, Texas — While the Cowboys weren't exactly quiet during free agency this spring, there is still plenty of work to do for this team that finished 7-9-1 in 2025.
Not only did they add some key players in free agency and via trades, but they also re-signed some of the core depth as well.
Still, there are other guys on this team that must take that next step in order for the Cowboys to be successful in 2026.
Today, we'll continue the Next Man Up series with quarterback Joe Milton.
- Name: Joe Milton
- Position: QB
- Experience: 2
- Games Played/Starts: 5/0
- Years Left on Contract: 2
- How Acquired: Trade with New England Patriots in 2025
- Key Stat: 69.8% completion, 424 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 INTs in career
The Past: Coming out of Tennessee in college, Milton was viewed as a raw quarterback with all the physical tools to be developed into a plus player in the right system. The Patriots drafted Milton in the sixth-round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the same draft New England took Drake Maye with their first-round pick. Milton played in the final game of the season for the Patriots against the Bills, leading them to a 23-16 win while completing 22 of his 29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown, also adding 16 yards and another touchdown on the ground. After moving on from Cooper Rush and Trey Lance, the Cowboys traded a fifth-round pick to the Patriots for Milton, and he served as Dak Prescott's backup for Dallas in the 2025 season, making four appearances and playing a majority of the season finale against the Giants.
The Present: Going into the offseason, Milton still projected to be the backup for Prescott and the Cowboys going into his second year with the team. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer has been effusive in his praise for Milton, but he's still young and needs as many reps as possible to improve. Those are difficult to get in game situations because of Prescott being the clear starter, which means practice and time during the week leading up to Sundays are currently the most crucial part of Milton's development. Speaking at the Super Bowl in February, Milton said Prescott's advice to him was if he wanted to be a starter, then be a starter every day. He goes through preparation that way and believes he can start for any team in the NFL.
The Future: This offseason is a big one for Joe Milton, because he'll be competing for the backup quarterback job with newly-signed QB Sam Howell as Schottenheimer said at NFL Owners Meetings. It was Milton's job a year ago, but now this staff will test him to see if he can win a competition for the role going into his third season in the NFL. It may be no exaggeration that Milton has the strongest arm in the league, but can he make the layups and all the plays in between in order to navigate the offense? Milton's opportunity to prove that is coming in the offseason program and into training camp as Dallas looks to find someone they can count on in the situation that a backup quarterback is needed at any point during the season.
