With the nature of non-active starters during NFL preseason games, the Dallas Cowboys handed the starting quarterback reins to VFL Joe Milton for the team’s first preseason game on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
While plenty of Milton’s practice footage and highlights have been circulated around the internet this summer, you almost have to remind yourself that he’s still just a second-year player in the league with only one true regular-season game under his belt. That came in the Patriots’ regular-season finale against the Bills last season.
It was a bit of a mixed bag for Milton on Saturday against the L.A. Rams. It took the former Tennessee quarterback a few drives to get going, completing just two of his first six passes, including three straight incompletions to start the game. He ended the first quarter with just one passing yard and a passer rating of 42.4.
Things started to heat up in the second quarter, though. He found more rhythm with short completions and began to find a groove. Ultimately, he ended the game completing 17-of-19 throws for 143 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also added 22 yards on the ground on five carries.
When it went good, it looked great. Milton’s lone touchdown pass came in the fourth quarter on a touch pass to the back corner of the endzone that, dare we say, looked effortless. He threw off his back foot, but had plenty of juice to get the ball where it needed to be.
Joe Milton III fires in the touchdown pass ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/rLWpNGrBEk
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) August 10, 2025
He converted the two-point try on the very next play with another nice pass.
Joe Milton continues to impress with the #Cowboys. Holds the ball as long as he can, doesn’t bail from the pocket and has that patented easy arm strength. 👇pic.twitter.com/8SM8bv0iD7 https://t.co/QLpJuJmied
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 10, 2025
More From RTI: Former Tennessee Quarterback Josh Dobbs Converts Magical 4th-and-Goal Touchdown
Still, though, his strength got the best of him on a pair of occasions during the game.
Early into the third quarter, Milton heaved a deep pass down the field. The decision to throw into true double coverage hurt him as the ball was intercepted for a Rams touchback.
QB Joe Milton attempted a pass he got for a TD in the joint practice on Tuesday, but this throw was into double coverage for an interception.
pic.twitter.com/puF3AD3gQ9— Garrett Podell (@garrettpodell) August 10, 2025
Then, later in the quarter, Milton sailed an intermediate throw over the head of his receiver, which would’ve been a huge gain through the air.
Worse than a bad miss from Milton here…
Should’ve been a big gain. #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/G86x9L6KrZ
— Ej Savage (Boys ‘N the Zone) (@BoysNtheZone) August 10, 2025
“If I was grading myself, definitely a D. Probably a D-minus if I’m being hard on myself,” Milton said of his game, via the Cowboys team site. “The guys around me did a great job, especially from the o-line standpoint, they were blocking their butt off. And then the receivers in tight ends, they were doing their assignments at a high level. I just got to settle down early and make all those throws.”
At the end of the day, Milton isn’t competing for the starting position on the roster. That means that games like this are a good thing because of the positives that can come from it. He can learn from the areas where he succeeded and improve on the spots he missed. As Milton said in his postgame press conference, one of the things he’ll look to work on is when to just take the checkdown instead of the home-run play, such as the second-half interception. A lot can come from a game like this, and we’ll see how the former UT quarterback improves during the second game of the preseason.
