Joe Milton III Says Cowboys Trade Was 'Blessing,' QB Grateful to Learn from Dak

Quarterback Joe Milton III said the trade that brought him to the Dallas Cowboys from the New England Patriots was a "blessing," and that it's "great to learn" from a signal-caller like Dallas starter Dak Prescott.

"The only thing I could have done, well, the only thing I did at that moment was to thank God," Milton said, according to the Cowboys' official website.

"Coming here was a blessing. I didn't know it was going to be here. … I didn't know where I was going to end up.

"I was just thankful to go to work. [But now I'm] back in the heat, for one. He allowed me to play in the dome, for two. And, three, it's America's team. Also, it's just great to learn from someone like Dak."

The Cowboys dealt a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Patriots for Milton and a 2025 seventh-rounder. Milton is competing with Will Grier for the Cowboys' backup quarterback job.

The 25-year-old Milton turned heads last year when he fared well in the Patriots' season finale (albeit against backups) in a 23-16 win over the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills. Still, Milton showcased his rocket arm in his first-ever NFL appearance, completing 22-of-29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a score.

Milton, a 2024 sixth-round pick out of Tennessee, wasn't ever going to be QB1 in New England, where 2024 No. 3 overall draft pick Drake Maye is the franchise star now. He won't be a starter in Dallas, either, but the Cowboys were willing to part ways with a fifth-rounder for him, so that obviously intrigued New England enough for a trade.

It's been good for Milton so far in Dallas, and Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer has been impressed with his work.

"So excited about Joe," Schottenheimer said earlier this week, per Walker. "I was excited about Joe before we got him. We all reach out to people that you know. People that you trust, people that have been exposed to said player in college, in different programs, friends that have been around him to this day. … From the time he's been here. The work ethic is incredible."

It wouldn't be a shock at all to see Milton be QB2 when Dallas opens the season on Thursday, Sept. 4 against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. For now, though, Dallas is still going through its offseason workouts, with an eye toward mandatory minicamp in June and training camp in July and August.