Former Tennessee Volunteer quarterback Joe Milton III has made the Dallas Cowboys’ initial 53-man roster, as the backup behind Dak Prescott entering his third NFL season.
Milton, who was in open competition, put in a lot of work. He spoke on to the work behind the scenes as the reason his game is rounding into form.
“It’s always going to come to light,” Milton said during a preseason interview. “Whatever you do in the dark is going to come to light. So all the stuff I’ve been doing in the dark, it’s starting to pan out.”
He carries five career regular-season games of experience into the year. Last season with the Cowboys, Milton appeared in four games, completing 15-of-24 passes for 183 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions while adding 50 yards on 5 rushing attempts. During the 2026 preseason, Milton performed well. He completed 29 of 43 passes for 378 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
The strong-armed passer spent three seasons in Knoxville after beginning his career at Michigan, appearing in 29 games with 16 starts for the Vols and going 11-5 as a starter. He threw for 4,159 yards and 32 touchdowns against just five interceptions in his Vol career.
