Joe Milton III Reportedly Traded to Cowboys to Backup Dak, Patriots Get NFL Draft Pick

The Dallas Cowboys reportedly have their new backup quarterback.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday that the Cowboys acquired Joe Milton III from the New England Patriots via trade to back up Dak Prescott. The move comes after previous backup quarterback Cooper Rush signed with the Baltimore Ravens earlier this offseason.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic noted the Patriots also sent a seventh-round pick with Milton to the Cowboys for a fifth-round pick.

While Milton has little game experience since entering the NFL as a sixth-round pick in last year's draft, he did impress in his one appearance during his rookie season.

He played the majority of the season finale against the Buffalo Bills and completed 22-of-29 passes for 241 yards, one touchdown and zero interception while adding 16 yards and a score on the ground as a runner.

The Tennessee product led the Patriots to a 23-16 victory in that game, although it wasn't enough to convince them to keep him around for a second season.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the Pats put Milton on the market after signing Josh Dobbs to be Drake Maye's backup earlier this offseason. Rapoport also noted the Cowboys were "the most interested from the outset" of all the potential suitors.

Yet Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports made it clear there were multiple interested parties and even a "better offer" that New England turned down "out of respect" for the quarterback:

The backup quarterback role is an important one in Dallas, as Prescott has dealt with durability concerns at times during his career. He was limited to five games in 2020, 12 games in 2022 and just eight games this past season.

Prescott's absence was one reason why the Cowboys struggled in 2024 on the way to a 7-10 record, which snapped a stretch of three straight years at 12-5.

Milton started his collegiate career at Michigan but saw far more playing time after transferring to Tennessee. He threw for 2,813 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions to go with 299 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground in his final collegiate season in 2023.

His arm strength immediately stood out as he was preparing for the NFL draft, and he looked like someone who could comfortably step into an offense in his limited playing time as a rookie. Now he will look to take the next step of his career on the Cowboys after they parlayed their interest into Thursday's trade.