Joe Milton III reminded everyone at Dallas Cowboys training camp on Wednesday why his arm keeps getting people talking.
On the final play of camp, the former Vol uncorked a strike down the left sideline to wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, who hauled it in in stride past his defender. It was the kind of throw Milton can make look effortless - a fastball that arrives before the defense can react.
Milton ➡️ Mingo #CowboysCamp | @AmericanAir
- Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) July 29, 2026
That kind of deep-ball velocity has never been the question. Milton can drive the ball 30 yards downfield without breaking a sweat.
The bigger issue, and the one Dallas is reportedly trying to sharpen as he enters his second year with the team and third in the league, is control. The Cowboys are working with him on touch, especially when the throws shrink from the deep sideline shot to the short and intermediate game.
No one doubts Milton’s ability to launch it. What he still has to clean up is the finesse part - the kind of feel that turns a hard throw into the right throw. That’s been the focus as he tries to round out his game.
His status in Dallas is a little murkier now than it was a year ago. Milton spent the 2025 season as Dak Prescott’s backup, but the Cowboys added former UNC and Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell in free agency this offseason, which opened up a real competition behind Prescott.
ESPN’s Todd Archer also projected Milton could be the odd man out when Dallas trims its roster.
“Considered going with Joe Milton III and making it three but opted against it,” Archer wrote, predicting Prescott and Howell as the only two QBs on the Cowboys’ roster. “The Cowboys guaranteed Howell $2 million in free agency and don’t make it a habit of letting that financial commitment walk.
Milton is still young enough to see how he develops and could be a practice squad guy. Howell has more experience and command.”
Milton arrived in Dallas in April 2025, when the Cowboys traded a sixth-round pick to the Patriots for Milton and a seventh-round pick. As a rookie in New England, he appeared in one game and threw for 241 yards and one touchdown on 75.9% passing in a 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills in the regular season finale. That performance was enough to get Dallas interested again after the Cowboys had also been in the mix before the 2024 NFL Draft.
Milton now has two seasons behind him and two more years left on his rookie deal. If nothing changes before then, he’ll be set to hit free agency heading into the 2028 season.
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