Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer has already announced that backup quarterback Joe Milton III will get his third and final start of the preseason when Dallas takes on the Atlanta Falcons at AT&T Stadium Friday night. But the game could also mark the last time that the 25-year-old Milton is seen in a Cowboys uniform.
Milton has become perhaps the most polarizing quarterback in the NFL at this point. His uncannily powerful throwing arm and superhuman athleticism have made him a viral sensation.
Cowboys Getting the Full ‘Joe Milton Experience’
But the seemingly limitless promise of the 6-foot-5-inch, 256-pound quarterback’s physical gifts inevitably give way to what his critics call “The Joe Milton Experience” â that is, his seeming inability to grasp the fundamentals of playing the quarterback position despite owning all of the “tools.”
In two preseason Cowboys starts, the results for Milton â a 2024 sixth-round draft pick by the New England Patriots who came to the Cowboys in an April trade â have not been there, as Schottenheimer has given him every opportunity to claim the No. 2 spot behind starting quarterback Dak Prescott.
Coach Claims He’s ‘Not Concerned’ About Milton
“In two preseason games, Milton has directed 17 full drives, and the Cowboys have one touchdown and four field goals. He has been intercepted twice and one of the three sacks led to a safety,” recounted ESPN NFL reporter Todd Archer.
Schottenheimer told reporters earlier this week that he is “not concerned” about Milton. But the only alternative on the roster remains 30-year-old journeyman Will Grier, who has not thrown a pass, or done anything else, in an official NFL game since December 29, 2019.
With Prescott â as he enters the first year of a four-year. $240 million contract that makes him the NFL’s highest-player â coming off a season cut short by a severe hamstring tear that required surgery, the No. 2 quarterback slot on the Cowboys’ roster gains an unusual level of importance.
Milton a Cut Candidate
According to Jerry Trotta of the Cowboys site The Landry Hat, a surprising development this week on one the Cowboys’ NFC rival teams may ultimately give Dallas an answer at backup QB, if Schottenheimer decides to cut both Milton and Grier from the final roster.
On Wednesday, the Chicago Bears announced that they had signed their own backup QB, 2023 undrafted free agent signing Tyson Bagent, two a two-year, $10 million extension.
The contract for the 25-year-old Baigent would appear to leave Chicago’s other backup, 37-year-old, 11-year veteran Case Keenum, out in the cold. Keenum was also an undrafted free agent, signing with the Houston Texans in 2012.
Keenum Led Vikings to NFC Title Game
“Keenum has been a serviceable starter throughout his career, throwing 79 touchdowns to just 51 interceptions with a 84.6 passer rating in 80 games (66 starts),” wrote Landry Hat scribe Trotta on Wednesday. “Even at age 37, he could run the offense better than Milton and Grier if Prescott were to miss time.”
Keenum somehow went undrafted despite setting several NCAA passing records with the Houston Cougars, from 2007 to 2011. His records for most touchdown passes â 155 in 57 games â and passing yardage (19,217) still stand today.
His most memorable season the NFL, however, came in 2017 when he led the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship game. Keenum started 14 games that year, completing 325 of 481 passes for 3,547 yards and 22 touchdowns.
“If the front office wants to try to keep winning without Prescott,” Trotta wrote, “they should monitor Keenum leading up to cutdown day.”
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