Cowboys' Joe Milton showing he's more than a big arm, but backup QB battle remains unsettled

Dallas Cowboys backup quarterback Joe Milton III is coming off an inspired performance, having lit up the Arizona Cardinals by going 9-of-13 for 179 yards and two touchdowns. That followed a preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks, where he went 12-of-15 for 107 yards and a score. Add it all up, and Milton has been the league's most efficient quarterback during the preseason, according to TruMedia's version of expected points added (EPA) per play.

Coach Brian Schottenheimer took notice.

"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," Schottenheimer said, via The Athletic. "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."

Milton showed off those skills in Dallas' second preseason game. Early on, he sidestepped pressure in the pocket, stepped up and through the rush, then found running back Malik Davis leaking out into the flat for a touchdown.

the offense turns the INT into a TD 💪#DALvsAZ | @Campaign_Lik 📺: #DALvsAZ on CBS11   📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/7pAfvQ9tid pic.twitter.com/3TOSx2hFAw

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 23, 2026

Schottenheimer detailed exactly why that play made an impression on him. 

"Honestly, last year this time, on the touchdown to Malik, it's probably from me to [a nearby reporter], and he probably would've blistered it at Malik," the head coach said. "Probably would've put a dent in Malik's chest because he's capable of doing that. He just kind of softened his elbow, and just kind of flipped it and made it really easy for Malik."

Later, Milton hit Jonathan Mingo for a deep ball up the left sideline for a long touchdown, then scrambled around and found undrafted free-agent wideout Camden Brown for a big gain -- two plays that Schottenheimer separately referred to as "beautiful."

GOIN' DEEEEEEP 👀#DALvsAZ | @ogmingo1k 📺: #DALvsAZ on CBS11   📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/7pAfvQ9tid pic.twitter.com/dyIt4aRRyg

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 23, 2026

.@Qbjayy7 to @CamdenBrown7 for a HUGE gain❗️ 📺: #DALvsAZ on CBS11   📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/7pAfvQ9tid pic.twitter.com/vj4VZ0O8Wo

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 23, 2026

"Last year at times, this time of year with Joe, it was a little bit difficult to call plays for Joe because I wasn't sure exactly what's going to happen here and there," Schottenheimer said, before detailing the progress Milton has made and saying that the quarterback has put together "two really, really good performances" in the preseason games. 

In other words, it looks like Milton is becoming more of a quarterback rather than just a passer. And that's a great sign for his development and his potential future in the league. We've seen over the last few years that teams are increasingly willing to give talented backups a chance to start, and it's worked out quite well for some of them. 

It's important not to get ahead of ourselves, though. Most of those backup quarterbacks getting chances to be starters have been first-round draft picks like Sam Darnold or mid-round picks like Malik Willis -- not sixth-rounders like Milton, who has thrown all of 53 regular-season passes and so doesn't have either the pedigree or track record of any of those types of players.

There's also the fact that Milton's preseason success has come exclusively against backups and third-stringers. It's hard to read too much into that level of performance, and it doesn't sound like the Cowboys are, either. That's evident in Schottenheimer's assertion that Milton hasn't won the backup job in Dallas just yet. He's still in a battle with Sam Howell, the former fifth-round pick of the Commanders who has not shown much in his career to indicate that he's a starting-caliber player. 

"If you would just take the training camp competition, it's probably neck and neck, and Sam maybe a little bit ahead," Schottenheimer said. "That's why we actually started Sam in the first game against Seattle. But Joe's put together two really good performances, and this will be another fun week for them to keep battling."

If Milton beats out Howell for the No. 2 role behind Dak Prescott, then his encouraging performances in the preseason should perhaps have the Cowboys feeling better about their backup quarterback situation than they did last year. Anyone thinking bigger than that -- like that Milton is ready to be a starter -- is probably thinking too big, at least for now. But turning into a quality backup would be a fantastic outcome for a former sixth-round pick, because most sixth-rounders don't stick in the league for very long.