The New England Patriots are drawing closer to their season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 7 and it’s crunch time for those on the bubble to make the roster. The Patriots must trim their 90-man roster to 53 players by Aug. 27 and it had several putting their best foot forward in Saturday’s 20-12 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
While Mike Vrabel will have to make some tough decisions in the coming days, an easy one has already been made. The Patriots jettisoned quarterback Joe Milton in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys last March and the move is already paying dividends after his preseason performance.
Joe Milton Already Losing His Grip on Cowboys Roster Spot
The Patriots sent Milton and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Cowboys this spring in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick. The Cowboys hoped the move would give them a sturdy QB2 situation after Cooper Rush departed for the Baltimore Ravens in free agency, but things are panning out the same way they did when they took a gamble on Trey Lance a few years ago.
Milton was a disaster for the Cowboys in Saturday night’s 31-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, completing just 9-of-18 passes for 122 yards with an interception. The first half was especially bad for Milton, as he completed just 2-of-8 passes for 18 yards.
The stats don’t do Milton’s performance justice. His interception to Baltimore’s Reuben Lowery III also looked like something a weary Madden player would chuck up at midnight, tossing it into triple coverage and into the hands of the leaping Ravens safety. He also took a safety in the endzone in the first quarter, which made Brian Schottenheimer leave the door open in the backup quarterback competition, saying he “didn’t have to make a decision today,” but that they would “have to believe” they have a quarterback they can trust via Jon Machota of The Athletic.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer on QB Joe Milton: “I wouldn’t say I’m concerned. We didn’t get in a rhythm. … It wasn’t just Joe.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 17, 2025
On the backup QB job: “I feel like I don’t have to decide anything today.”
On having a backup QB they can trust: “I think we have to believe… pic.twitter.com/wzJR4AUAJI
We will never know the exact reaction of the Patriots, but it’s a good bet to assume that they’re laughing in Foxborough. Milton was a sixth-round pick by New England in the 2024 draft, but wanted to be a starting quarterback. The big issue was that the Patriots selected Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the same draft, and Milton wasn’t going to get his chance to become the franchise quarterback.
The 25-year-old got his opportunity to start in the regular season finale against the Buffalo Bills after Maye was injured and he did well, throwing for 241 yards and a touchdown. But a report by ESPN’s Mike Reiss said that the Patriots decided to trade Milton due to the “quarterback room dynamic” and was labeled as “not a good dude” by Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal last May.
While the process felt rushed, it proved to be the right move. Milton is in the same position he was in previously backing up Dak Prescott and his performance could have him run out of the league. The Patriots have their franchise QB and Vrabel is looking forward to getting New England back to their championship ways.