Cowboys HC Hypes Joe Milton's Growth, Says NFL QBs Are More Than 'Carnival' Arm Strength

When Joe Milton was drafted in 2024, the quarterback was known mostly for his cannon of an arm and not much else.

Now, Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer believes Milton is more than just his arm. Schottenheimer told reporters Monday that Milton has grown tremendously ahead of the 2026 campaign.

"I first remember hearing about Joe Milton when he was at the University of Michigan and everyone applauded him for how hard and how far he could throw the ball. Cool. That's awesome. Go be in a carnival somewhere. That's not what playing an NFL quarterback is. It's not. … You're throwing through small windows, you're throwing over people, you're changing arm slots. So to me, arm strength is cool. Go to the fair and win a teddy bear. But you got to play quarterback. And that's what I think you see Joe learning is he's playing quarterback. And he's playing quarterback at a high level. He's checking the ball down. He's making blitz adjustments. He's solving problems. He's reading from his first, second to third, and even fourth progression at times. It takes time. You don't stop learning as a quarterback. The only way to do it is to play. I'm really, really proud of him."

During his time at Tennessee, Milton showed flashes of an NFL-starting quarterback but mostly relied on his arm and athleticism to make plays rather than making adjustments on the fly and going through his progressions.

He's played well in preseason this year, throwing for 107 yards and a touchdown on 12-of-15 passing against the Seahawks before recording 179 yards and two touchdowns on 9-of-13 passing against the Cardinals.

If all goes according to plan for the Cowboys this year, Dak Prescott will avoid injury and Milton won't see much playing time. But if he does have to take over under center, it sounds like Schottenheimer will have plenty of faith in him.