Joe Milton played one great game for the New England Patriots. In the process, he screwed up their grandest rebuilding plan.
The former Michigan and Tennessee quarterback arrived in Foxborough as a 2023 sixth round pick and developmental project. He looked great in the preseason against third-stringers and future practice squad fodder -- good enough to earn a roster spot behind Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye. When a Week 18 tilt arose against a Buffalo Bills team with nothing to play for, he got the call to make the first official appearance of his NFL career.
The Patriots' mission was simple. By inserting their third string quarterback into the lineup they'd see what he was capable of, sure. But he'd also secure the top overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with a loss -- a pick that could be traded off for roster-building, revival-accelerating parts.
Joe Milton did not lose. Now he's a Dallas Cowboy.
Milton parlayed a 270-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 23-16 win over the Bills' backups into a trade that will make him Dak Prescott's backup in Arlington. The Cowboysdealt a fifth round pick to New England in exchange for Milton and a seventh-round selection.
It's a deal that capitalizes on a big performance in what was the regular season equivalent of a preseason game. Milton outdueled Mitch Trubisky and Mike White. Nearly 40 percent of Buffalo undrafted free agent linebacker Joe Andreesen's career tackles came in Week 18, his only start to date. While the rookie quarterback's supporting cast wasn't remarkable, it was still loaded with starters -- albeit from a team that was 3-13 when he got the call.
That was enough to convince Jerry Jones he was buying low on a quarterback with NFL talent. Whatever the Patriots had seen in practice was enough to convince them a fifth round return was selling high -- especially with Milton likely to settle back to third string duties behind the newly signed Joshua Dobbs.
Per Rich Hill's draft value chart (and doing a little rounding because both teams have multiple picks in the rounds where they're making this deal), the swap pegs Milton's value at roughly the 170th overall pick. That's better than the 193rd selection where Milton was originally selected. With the young quarterback so volatile -- one bad preseason performance could tank his trade value entirely -- the Pats opted to strike while the iron was hot.
That's modest value for a player who may not have been in new head coach Mike Vrabel's plans. It's also an inexpensive addition for the Cowboys who needed a Cooper Rush replacement behind Prescott. Milton is an enigma, but he's got a big arm and quick feet. If nothing else, he could be a proper sideshow attraction for the copious tour groups wandering through team facilities any given weekday. He'll compete with Will Grier for the QB2 role -- a role that's been elevated to starting duties 14 games the last three seasons.
There's value to that, but Milton could simply be another Trey Lance. Dallas acquired the former third overall pick for a fourth round selection in 2023. He appeared in only four games in two seasons as a Cowboy, lost his only start and was generally worse at football than Rush.
