OXNARD, Calif. — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott hasn’t played in a preseason game since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Safe to say with Prescott coming off his second season-ending injury this decade, a torn hamstring in Week 9 last season in addition to a fractured ankle in 2020, Dallas won’t be prioritizing preseason reps for their 32-year-old, three-time Pro Bowl quarterback. They will be, however, for 25-year-old, second-year quarterback Joe Milton. Milton, who self-described his right arm as a “rocket” after revealing he’s thrown a football 90 yards in the air in practice at the University of Tennessee, is about to receive the bulk of the playtime this preseason after playing in just one game as a rookie with the New England Patriots while backing up 2024 third overall pick quarterback Drake Maye.
“Physically, the ceiling is very high for him. He’s learning how to play. He’s gonna get a bunch of reps. Playing quarterback is about taking reps. He’s gonna get a bunch of reps in the preseason,” Cowboys quarterbacks coach Steve Shimko said on Wednesday. “He’s just going to continue to grow mentally. The work ethic and the time he puts into this is second to none. … He’s learning all the other little [things] about playing the position.”
Milton’s physical tools were on full display in Tuesday’s joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams when he ripped a throw over 60 yards in the air to wide receiver Jalen Brooks for Dallas’ first touchdown of the scrimmage.
“Oh, it was great. Just to have a chance to just let it rip, but also just having fun out there,” Milton said after practice on Thursday when talking about that moment. “Enjoying every moment. … It just felt great to do it against somebody else, see a different color on the other side of the ball and being able to throw a deep ball. Also just to show what we’ve been doing in the offseason, show how well we’ve been connecting.”
Milton, whom the Cowboys acquired after shipping a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for the QB and a 2025 seventh-round draft choice, wasn’t exaggerating his arm talent when he called his right arm a rocket. Prescott has never personally seen a strong arm through his nine NFL seasons since 2016.
“No, I haven’t [seen someone with Milton’s arm strength],” Prescott said after practice Thursday. We were talking with Schotty, and he said he’s seen somebody [with better arm strength than Milton]. … He mentioned Brett Favre,” Prescott said. “I obviously haven’t seen Brett throw in person, but I’m going to put Joe up with any of them.”
New Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer was Favre’s offensive coordinator with the New York Jets in 2008, so he has seen the Pro Football Hall of Famer let it rip in person. That’s the only player Schottenheimer has seen whose arm strength is comparable to Milton’s. Eric Mangini, the Jets coach at the time, challenged Favre to “let it rip” during an indoor practice one day, and that’s when Schottenheimer observed the three-time NFL MVP’s jaw-dropping cannon.
“I really can’t, that I’ve been around” Schottenheimer said Friday when asked about non-Favre arm strength comps to Milton. … “When I was in New York, Brett Favre was what, 40 [39]? His elbow was bothering him a little bit, so he wants to go inside. … Eric’s like ‘Yeah, we’ll go inside, but I want you to let it rip today.’ … Literally it was the most impressive practice I’ve ever seen. … The arm strength at 40, 41 whatever he was [39] was incredible. Joe might have him [Favre] on distance, I’m being honest with you, but the RPMs are very close.”
The last game action in which Milton was able to let it rip was the Patriots’ Week 18 finale against the Buffalo Bills, a game that also coincided as his NFL debut. Milton thrived, leading New England to a 23-16 victory over Buffalo by throwing for 241 yards and a touchdown on 22 of 29 passing in addition to a 1-yard rushing touchdown. This effort made him the only Patriots player since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger with both a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown in his NFL debut, according to CBS Sports Research.
“It allowed me to accept the fact that I’m here, and that I can play in this league,” Milton said. “I feel like there’s a lot more that I can do and let out, but also that just comes with my work ethic and how much I put into it every week.”
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What the Cowboys hope to see out of Milton this preseason
Between Milton playing in an offense that didn’t require much mental heavy lifting in college at Tennessee and only taking the field for one NFL game as a rookie, there’s still much for him to learn. What the Cowboys have focused on drilling into Milton about this offseason is being more open to taking the checkdowns opposing defenses will give him while aiming to take away his deep passing threat. That hasn’t always been easy for Milton to do because of the trust he has in his arm.
“I know I can make it [tight window throws], so yes I do trust my arm a lot,” Milton said.
Schottenheimer did say on Friday that the most recent two practices for Milton have been his best at being decisive with his checkdown throws.
“He’s doing really well. The arm is very evident. You can’t miss the arm strength,” Schottenheimer said on Monday. “The biggest thing for Joe has been when they cover our top two or three progressions, where’s the outlet? Where’s your checkdown? He’s such an aggressive hunter, man. He’s hunting up the big in [route] or the deep cross. … There’s a few times where you’re like ‘man, I’d love for you to get that ball to the checkdown underneath.’ … So that’s probably the No. 1 thing. When we pop open [progression] one or two, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. It’s really when ‘OK, they took this away. Oh, they took that away. Now where’s your No. 2, where’s your No. 3?’ I think that’s where he’s just got to be consistent.”
However, Milton has been willing to change and have a time clock in his head, something former Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy referred to as the 2.3 — the seconds a quarterback typically has to get the ball out when throwing from the pocket.
“He’s great fundamentally, his feet are getting better every day as well, but his biggest jump [has been] taking every practice rep like it’s a game, like he could really get hit. That ball’s coming out, he’s finding completions, he’s really running the offense,” Shimko said. “Instead of just trying to show off his arm, which we all know he has one of the best arms in the world, he’s now playing quarterback. And he’s doing a phenomenal job with that. … Some of the things he’s not seeing, coming to me, coming to [Brian Schottenheimer], even Dak [Prescott], who has been awesome with him.”
Prescott feels Milton has experienced “a ton” of growth between the start of the offseason program in organized team activities to right now in training camp because of his buy in and willingness to work, learn and ask questions. Following Milton tweaking his thumb in the joint practice on Tuesday, Prescott noticed Milton shadowing his footwork off to the side, taking mental reps even when not in the game.
“It’s the preparation. … Knowing your reads, knowing your time clock and just staying true to it,” Prescott said. “Also understanding you’re a playmaker, and that’s what that time clock means. Sometimes that time clock means ‘hey, time to go be a playmaker.’ Sometimes it means ‘I want to be a playmaker, but there’s somebody else coming, and I got to call uncle and live for the next play.’ … Then, making sure that when you’re not the quarterback in there, you’re still taking those [mental] reps. …. He was back there taking my reps [in the joint practice], and I saw it on film. We talked about it, and that’s real. That’s the only way that you can grow in this position is literally stealing reps, whether you’re in there or not. You need to be mentally stealing everyone’s reps.”
It also helps that Prescott has been more of an Aaron Rodgers-like mentor to Milton and not a Favre. Favre notoriously gave Rodgers the cold shoulder when the two were Packers teammates, but current Green Bay starting quarterback Jordan Love raved about Rodgers’ mentorship when he was the four-time NFL MVP’s backup in a recent piece for the Player’s Tribune.
“It’s been great,” Milton said of Prescott’s mentorship. “Any questions I have … no question is a dumb question, especially about football. So that’s how he treats it. That’s how I treat it, and I ask whatever question it is. … How he carries himself, how much he goes out of his way to help me, yes absolutely [I’m grateful].”
‘Should be’ good to go
Milton had to exit Tuesday’s joint practice with a thumb injury after a Los Angeles defensive lineman’s hand hit his arm, which gave him a brief scare. Milton said he felt “great” after Thursday’s practice and “should be” a full go for Saturday’s preseason game at the Rams, another opportunity for him to continue chasing the next step of his maturation as an NFL quarterback.
“To be the best version of myself,” Milton said of his preseason goal. “That’s my goal every day. Do what I know how to do best, and that’s just play football. Get guys around me happy, excited and involved.”
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