DALLAS — Former Dallas Cowboys scout Bryan Broaddus said Joe Milton III would be the best quarterback on the Cleveland Browns roster right now.
Broaddus discussed Cleveland settling its quarterback job on Trust the Tape, a YouTube show with Jeff Cavanaugh. Browns coach Todd Monken named Deshaun Watson the Week 1 starter over Shedeur Sanders for the Sept. 13 game at Jacksonville.
Milton has started both Cowboys preseason games, and Dallas won both.
“He’d be the best quarterback in Cleveland right now,” Broaddus said. “Joe Milton would be.”
Deshaun Watson Won A Four-Man Competition In Cleveland
Watson went 5 of 12 for 35 yards with 1 interception against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, and Cleveland lost 31-7. Sanders started that game and played the first half before Watson took over after halftime. Home fans booed Watson during the loss.
Watson has started 19 games for Cleveland since the Browns acquired him from the Houston Texans in 2022, going 9-10 with 19 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. He signed a fully guaranteed $230 million contract with the Browns. Watson missed the last 10 games of the 2024 season and all of 2025 due to Achilles injuries. The Jacksonville game will be only his third Week 1 start in Cleveland.
Sanders, a fifth-round pick in 2025, finished last season as a starter. He completed 56.6% of his throws for 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Bryan Broaddus Says Joe Milton III Is Reading The Field Better
Broaddus said Milton went into training camp with one foot in the parking lot.
“I’m happy for him,” Broaddus explained. “Joe Milton, we interviewed him at the Super Bowl. One of the nicest guys you could ever talk to. God, he’s a pleasant guy. And you cheer for a guy like that.”
“I’m glad he could see the field now,” Broaddus continued. “I’m glad he kind of has an understanding what he’s looking at, and not the first option is to run. It’s to look and find and throw. God, he just looks so much better standing there.”
Milton went 9 of 13 for 179 yards, 2 touchdowns, and added a 1-yard rushing score in a 34-13 win against the Arizona Cardinals. He threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Camden Brown in the preseason opener on Aug. 15, a 17-7 win over Seattle. Dallas is 2-0 this preseason.
Milton ran 10 times in his only start for the Patriots in Week 18 of 2024 and hasn’t carried the ball more than twice in preseason this month.
Bryan Broaddus Sees Trade Value In Joe Milton III
Broaddus stated Milton’s value won’t rise beyond the current level. He set the acceptable return at a fourth-round pick or higher, willing to accept a third- or second-round pick, and suggested Dallas shouldn’t ignore such offers. Broaddus also highlighted Dak Prescott‘s health as a concern, referencing former Colts coordinator Tom Moore‘s insight about why teams don’t prepare for life without a franchise quarterback.
Dallas is not the only place the idea has surfaced. The Dallas Morning News raised the same possibility in a training camp roster projection, noting that strong preseason play from both Milton and Sam Howell could put a draft pick in reach for one of them. The Morning News also left Howell off its most recent 53-man projection, which would leave Dallas carrying two quarterbacks into Week 1.
Dallas acquired Milton from New England in April 2025 for a 2025 fifth-round pick, No. 171 overall, and also received a seventh-round pick in the deal. The Cowboys needed a backup that spring because Cooper Rush signed a two-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens that guaranteed him $4.2 million, leaving Will Grier as the only quarterback on the roster behind Prescott.
Prescott threw for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 17 starts last season. Howell signed a one-year deal in March after a season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Tuesday at The Star in Frisco that the roster is deeper and more talented than it was a year ago.
Ken Dorsey links the two quarterback rooms. In 2024, Dorsey served as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator and has worked with the Cowboys’ quarterbacks as a passing game specialist since February 2025. Previously, he spent five seasons in Buffalo, starting in 2019 as Josh Allen’s quarterbacks coach, and later served as offensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023.
Cleveland plays New England Thursday at 7 p.m. CT. Dallas hosts the Saints on Friday. Teams must reach 53 players by Sunday at 5 p.m. CT.
