FRISCO, Texas — Joe Milton III has thrown 21-of-28 for 286 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions across two preseason games for the Dallas Cowboys, and coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday at The Star that the throws he went back to on tape were the soft ones.
Milton’s touch on the double move to Jonathan Mingo and on the scramble play to Camden Brown were what stood out, Schottenheimer said. A year ago, the 8-yard touchdown to Malik Davis would have arrived hard enough to put a dent in Davis’ chest, and instead Milton softened his elbow and flicked it.
“If you look at Joe’s career over the last four or five years, I first remember hearing about Joe Milton when he was at University of Michigan, and everyone applauded him for how hard and how far he could throw the ball,” Schottenheimer said. “Cool. That’s awesome. Go be in a carnival somewhere. That’s not what playing NFL quarterback is. It’s not, oh, yeah, I can throw the ball 85 yards. You’re throwing through small windows. You’re throwing over people. You’re changing arm slots. So to me, arm strength is cool, but go to the fair and win a teddy bear.”
“But you’ve got to play quarterback, and that’s what I think you see Joe learning is he’s playing quarterback,” Schottenheimer continued. “He’s playing quarterback at a high level. He’s checking the ball down. He’s making blitz adjustments. He’s solving problems. He’s reading from his first, second, to third, and even fourth progression at times. And it takes time. You don’t stop learning as a quarterback, and the only way to do it is to play. And I’m really, really proud of him.”
What Joe Milton III Did Against Arizona
Milton completed 9-of-13 for 179 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions in the first half at Glendale on Saturday night, and he added a 1-yard rushing touchdown on a quarterback draw in the second quarter. The touchdown pass to Mingo covered 53 yards down the left sideline. A 70-yard completion to Brown set up the rushing score one play later. Dallas won 34-13.
In the preseason opener at Seattle on Aug. 15, Milton completed 12-of-15 for 107 yards and threw a 2-yard touchdown to Brown in the third quarter. Dallas won 17-7.
Joe Milton III’s Career Numbers
New England drafted Milton in the sixth round, 193rd overall, in 2024. The Patriots traded him to Dallas in April 2025 for a fifth-round pick, with a seventh-round pick coming back to the Cowboys.
Milton appeared in 4 games last season and completed 15-of-24 for 183 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. He ran 5 times for 50 yards. Through 5 career games he has thrown for 424 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Dak Prescott started all 17 games in 2025 and has not played this preseason.
Dallas closes the preseason against the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, with kickoff at 7 p.m. CT on CBS. Rosters must be at 53 players by 5 p.m. CT on Sunday, Aug. 30.
