The Philadelphia Eagles announced Friday evening that they have signed quarterback Joe Milton to their 53-player roster from the Dallas Cowboys practice squad.
Milton was a sixth-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2024. He played in one game for the Patriots in 2024, a Week 18 game against the Buffalo Bills that eliminated the Patriots’ chances of becoming the first overall pick in the 2025 draft. In that game, Milton completed 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, and a rushing TD.
He was traded a few months later along with a seventh round pick to the Cowboys for a fifth round pick. In 2025, Milton appeared in four games. He completed 15 of 24 passes for 183 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT. He ran 5 times for 50 meters.
Milton is 6’5, 236 pounds and has a cannon for an arm. From a pure physical trait standpoint, Milton is as impressive as any quarterback in the NFL.
However, his game is not refined, and he is already 26 years old as he spent six years in college at Michigan and Tennessee. His scouting report out of college, via Lance Zierlein:
Rare physical specimen with the proverbial “arm talent to make every throw in the NFL”, but he is prevented from doing so by a lack of timing, accuracy and touch. Milton has a cannon for a right arm and can throw the ball as hard or as far as you want. His fastballs are often inaccurate and difficult to catch for moving targets, and he was extremely inconsistent locating his deep throws. He can escape pressure, extend plays and put jaw-dropping highlights on tape, but he’s never been able to evolve his game from flashy to consistent. He is above all a single-sided reader who struggles to improvise with his gaze. The physical ingredients could allow him to be drafted on Day 3, but his lack of development over six seasons discourages his projection.
Here are some of the aforementioned highlights from his final season at Tennessee:
The Eagles needed quarterback reinforcements after it was revealed that Jalen Hurts was out indefinitely due to a superficial blood clot. Tanner McKee will start Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, and fifth-round draft rookie Cole Payton will back him up.
The Eagles probably could have re-signed Andy Dalton, who spent the entire offseason with the team, is looking for a job and moved his family to the Philadelphia area. Dalton and Milton really couldn’t be any different. Dalton is a very experienced quarterback, but his physical abilities have eroded over time. Milton is a physical specimen with just 53 career passing attempts.
It’s interesting that the Eagles opted for the draft over the seasoned veteran, especially when the next quarterback is an unready Payton, in case McKee gets injured. Perhaps this is a hint that the Eagles are aware that a deep playoff run is not in their immediate future.
And certainly, a smaller piece of this signing is that the Eagles will tap Milton for information ahead of their Week 7 game against the Cowboys.
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