Joe Milton III is set for his first start with the Philadelphia Eagles, and the timing comes with the team in a rough spot. According to ESPN’s Mike Garafolo and Adam Schefter on Wednesday afternoon, Milton will take over at quarterback this weekend against the New York Giants, with Tanner McKee being benched after three starts.
Philadelphia enters the game at 2-6 and riding a six-game losing streak. The Eagles have also been without Jalen Hurts since Oct. 17, when he was placed on IR after being diagnosed with blood clots in the lungs. Not long after that news surfaced, Philadelphia signed Milton off the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad.
Milton’s path to this opportunity has moved fast. He spent the offseason in a quarterback battle with free agent signee Sam Howell, but lost out on the job as Dak Prescott’s backup in Dallas.
The Cowboys waived Milton before the season, then brought him back to the practice squad after he cleared waivers. He never made Dallas’ active roster this year.
Before landing in Dallas, Milton had been drafted by the Patriots and later traded to the Cowboys ahead of the 2025 season. He spent last year as Prescott’s backup and saw only limited action in garbage-time situations. Even with many expecting him to hold the No. 2 role again this season, Dallas changed course after adding Howell.
Milton’s preseason work offered a mixed but encouraging snapshot. He played well in his first two preseason games, then had a final outing that left more to be desired.
Still, the overall takeaway was that he looked better across nearly every part of his game. In three preseason games for the Cowboys, he threw for 392 yards and four touchdowns while completing 67.4% of his passes.
He came off the bench in the opener and started the final two games.
Across two seasons, Milton has appeared in five games for the Patriots and Cowboys. In those outings, he has passed for 424 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 69.8% of his throws.
Milton and the Eagles will face the Giants on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox.
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