Joe Milton only threw 29 pases in his NFL rookie season last year but that was enough to put some impressive plays on film. All of those pass attempts came in Week 18 when he got the chance to start in the New England Patriots regular season finale.
That was an important game for the now Dallas Cowboys backup quarterback, as it served as a great confidence booster. Milton, an arm talent freak looking to improve accuracy and decision making to become a viable starting quarterback in the NFL, performed well against a defense on a Sunday. Backups or not, that counts.
"After the Buffalo game, I was like, man, it's fun," Milton told reporters last week. "I feel like I can keep doing this. I feel like there's more that I need to let out as far as that Buffalo game. But other than that, man, I was just having fun. It was probably one of the best days of my life."
Milton passed for 241 yards and one touchdown that day and he added a rushing touchdown. A solid debut for a sixth-round rookie. Asked about one play that stood out from that one game as his favorite, Milton mentioned one that led to him to talk some trash.
"Sheesh, probably the naked to the left when the linebacker tried to hit me, and I stood over him," Milton said. "And I still completed a crosser. I was talking a lot of trash, for sure."
The above play was a great one. Not only is Milton rolling to his left and making a cross-body throw, he's hit as he throws and he threads the needle to hit his receiver right in the hands even though the defender was playing some sticky coverage.
The Patriots didn't score on that play but they moved the chains.
The play—and a few others he made that same day—says a lot about Milton. He's an athletic freak arm-wise and the room is there for him to develop. His upside wasn't a secret when he was with the Pats nor when he was with the Tennessee Vols in college. The question is if the Cowboys can tap into it.
If so, they got a steal by trading for Milton, whose exit from the Patriots largely has more to do with a coaching staff change and Drake Maye's rise and less with his own play.
For now, Milton is learning the playbook and getting ready in case he's called upon this season.
