Cowboys Announcement on Preseason Plans Could Spell Trouble for Dak Prescott

When the New England Patriots selected former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joe Milton III with the 193rd pick of the 2024 NFL draft, the choice left NFL experts befuddled. After all, the Patriots had already picked their presumed quarterback of the future in North Carolina’s Drake Maye, in the first round with the No. 3 overall pick.

Even Milton was taken aback, telling reporters later that he had not even familiarized himself with the Patriots roster. That’s how little he was expecting to be drafted by the six-time Super Bowl winners. But New England player personnel chief Eliot Wolf said that Milton simply had “too much talent” to ignore.

Milton’s Raw Talents Are Legendary

Milton’s physical abilities coming out of college were already the stuff of myth, except they were real. His ability to throw a football more than 80 yards in the air was well documented in online videos, as was his propensity for standing back-flips to celebrate touchdowns, or sometimes just because he felt like it. As a runner, Milton at 6-foot-5 and 246 pounds was nearly unstoppable.

The Patriots never gave him a chance to make his mark in an NFL game, however. Until Week 18, when Milton put on a jaw-dropping show — albeit in a meaningless game — against the Buffalo Bills, completing 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards, a touchdown and 14 first-downs. At one point, Milton unleashed a 61.7 mph pass, the second-fastest ever recorded in the NFL.

After the 2024 season, however, the Patriots apparently had seen enough of Milton, shipping him to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for the 171st pick in the draft, and the 217th pick.

Milton will be competing for the job as No. 1 backup to nine-year veteran Dak Prescott. Having just last season signed their veteran quarterback to a record-setting, four-year, $240 million contract, the Cowboys seem unlikely to allow Milton to challenge Prescott for the starter’s role.

Nonetheless, with Prescott attempting to come back from a serious hamstring tear that ended his 2024 season after just eight starts, the veteran is expected to be sidelined for the Cowboys’ three preseason games.

Cowboys Make Big Announcement on Milton Plans

According to a Cowboys’ announcement on Monday, just one day ahead of the official opening of 2025 training camp, Milton will get a golden opportunity to show what he can do as an NFL quarterback in the preseason.

“(Dallas head coach) Brian Schottenhimer said the Cowboys want to see Joe Milton play a lot this preseason,” reported Dallas News Cowboys correspondent Calvin Watkins on Monday.

“The Cowboys coaching staff appears to be high on Milton, so giving him the opportunity to put his skills on full display during the preseason will bring plenty of entertainment for those watching at home,” wrote SI.com Cowboys reporter Josh Sanchez on Monday. “Dallas gave up a fifth-round pick for Milton and a seventh-round selection, so it was a low-risk, high-reward move. Let’s see how it pays off.”

But the real question is — should Prescott be worried? If he stays healthy, probably not.

But Prescott has a lengthy injury record. In the years before his Grade 3 hamstring tear, Prescott suffered a broken thumb, strained shoulder, fractured ankle, and elbow sprain among other ailments.