The Dallas Cowboys now have a clear backup quarterback in Joe Milton III, and it took only one season for the answer to look far different from the question they had when they bought him. Milton, acquired from the New England Patriots for a late-round pick at No. 171 and an early seventh-rounder at No. 217, has moved from developmental project to the likely No. 2 behind Dak Prescott.
That matters now because the Cowboys spent last offseason searching for a young passer they could mold after the Trey Lance experience did not work out. They found Milton at low cost, and they signed free agent quarterback Sam Howell to hedge their bets behind him. The search was not just about depth; it was about finding someone the staff could trust if Prescott, who played all 17 games last season, ever missed time.
Milton’s path to that point was uneven. He played one game in 2024 and looked really good in that outing, but his broader body of work was thin: four games in all, every one of them in a three-score loss. That is the kind of usage that can leave a young quarterback with more promise than proof. It also explains why he was viewed as not ready when he first arrived and why the Cowboys kept looking for another option even after the trade.
Then came Saturday. His play showed massive steps in a matter of a year, the sort of jump that changes how a roster is built behind the starter. The difference was not just that Milton looked more comfortable; it was that he played like someone who no longer needed the same level of insulation around him. For a team that had been planning around uncertainty, that is the shift that turns a backup battle into a settled answer.
The result leaves the Cowboys in a better place than they were a year ago, with Milton’s development giving them a real contingency behind Prescott and Howell left to compete from behind. The only question that remains is whether the improvement seen on Saturday holds once the games count, because that will decide whether Dallas has found a long-term backup or only a temporary one.
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