Dallas Cowboys get their intriguing developmental QB in Joe Milton III

For a while, the Dallas Cowboys have shared their plans to use a late-round pick on a developmental backup quarterback behind Dak Prescott.

They held true to that thinking — just not in the way that some expected.

The Cowboys acquired New England Patriots quarterback Joe Milton III and a 7th round pick in exchange for a 5th round pick in this year’s draft, DLLS confirmed. The 5th round pick is one of the two remaining compensatory picks the Cowboys possessed.

“My family grew up [Cowboys fans.] My mom always had a Cowboys shirt on. She always talked about them. Living in Texas has been a longtime dream of mine. And now I’m with them,” Milton told FOX Sports. “I’m ready to work.”

This is the third trade the Cowboys have completed this off-season. They also acquired cornerback Kaiir Elam from the Buffalo Bills and linebacker Kenneth Murray from the Tennessee Titans.

This is also the second time in the last three years the Cowboys have traded for a backup quarterback. They traded a fourth round pick in the 2024 Draft to acquire quarterback Trey Lance from San Francisco.

Lance started in one game for the Cowboys. He played in the season finale last year against the Washington Commanders. In that game, the former third overall pick completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 244 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Lance never had the chance to truly develop in two years in Dallas. Now, new head coach Brian Schottenheimer will have three years with Milton.

Milton, a former sixth round pick, appeared in one game during his rookie season with the Patriots. He completed 75.9% of his passes for 241 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown.

Of note: Milton had more than double the amount of passing attempts that Lance did while he was in college. Milton is also roughly 10 months older than Lance.

Milton, like Lance, has some intriguing developmental traits. Milton is over 6-foot-5 and had a 35-inch vertical jump and a 10-feet, one-inch broad jump at the NFL combine. His athletic profile, according to Mockdraftable, is a closest match to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, the reigning NFL MVP. Some of the other comparisons tell an equally interesting, and polarizing, story, as you can see below.

Why is new Cowboys QB Joe Milton III is so intriguing? His athletic profile matches some of the most talented QBs in the NFL … and conversely, some who never developed. pic.twitter.com/1HB67sTSdT

— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) April 3, 2025

“Rare physical specimen with the proverbial ‘arm talent to make all the NFL throws,’ but he’s prevented from doing so by a lack of timing, accuracy and touch,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in his scouting report of Milton coming out of Tennessee. “Milton is gifted with a cannon for a right arm and can throw the ball as hard or as far as you want. His fastballs are often inaccurate and difficult to catch for moving targets, and he was wildly inconsistent locating his deep throws. He can elude pressure, extend plays and put jaw-dropping highlights on tape, but he’s never been able to mature his game from splashy to consistent. He’s primarily a single-side reader who struggles to improvise with his eyes. The physical ingredients could get him drafted on Day 3, but his lack of development over six seasons discourages his projection.

Milton is also known for his calm and casual style of play — both in the huddle and in the face of opposing pass rushers.

“I feel like, no matter if it’s the first game or the last game of the season, I feel like the more you relax, just having a calm mind and not having a scrambled brain, just being you regardless.” Milton said, via NFL.com. “Like, I have a big personality, I’m going to show my personality every time I have the chance to. My thing is, I want to make sure everybody smiles. Every day. Day in and day out. Make sure everybody smiles day in and day out. Just going out there letting guys know, ‘listen man, you don’t have to be stuck up, have fun, talk, talk trash.’ It’s football. At the end of the day, it’s football, so no matter what you do, you go out there and have fun and operate and do the assignment your coach told you to do throughout the week. It’s going to allow you to have fun. Just having fun and showing my personality is all I like to do.”

Schottenheimer and the Cowboys will now be tasked with developing Milton behind Prescott. They used a Day 3 pick to do so, which was the plan all along.