The Cowboys’ offseason trade for Patriots backup Joe Milton wasn’t supposed to start a quarterback controversy in Dallas, given the status of entrenched $240 million starter Dak Prescott.
Just don’t tell that to the fans who witnessed Milton uncork a 75-yard bomb to receiver Jalen Brooks during Tuesday’s joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams at Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, California.
To be clear, this wasn’t a total gain of 75 yards. Milton launched the ball 75 yards through the air and into the arms of a diving Brooks in the end zone.
Yes, Brooks did gain some separation with the help of a play-action fake, allowing Milton a bit more room for error downfield. Still, even given that and the fact that this pass came against backups, Milton’s 75-yard toss is still five yards longer than any official completion in NFL history.
According to the league’s ‘Next Gen Stats,’ which encompasses everything dating back to 2016, the longest pass ever completed through the air during an NFL game was 70 yards – a 2021 Hail Mary from Baker Mayfield to his then-Browns teammate Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Milton beat that toss by another 15 feet and did so without the benefit of an additional four steps to gather his momentum, as Mayfield had in 2021. Instead, Milton was nearly flat footed while effortlessly floating the football into the end zone from the other side of the field.
Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton III signs autographs during training camp
And since this is the Cowboys, an eternal source of frustration and debate among fans, Milton’s throw naturally prompted a quarterback controversy.
‘He needs to be a starter in the league,’ one fan wrote online. ‘Absolutely electric.’
Another added: ‘It’s a matter of time.’
Of course, the Cowboys are heavily invested in Prescott, who currently accounts for around 20 percent of the team’s cap figure through the 2028 season.
The Mississippi State product is coming off a season-ending hamstring issue that ultimately led to the Cowboys finishing 7-10 in 2024.
Head coach Mike McCarthy is now gone, replaced with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who already has a working relationship with Prescott.
Bazooka Joe, as some fans have taken to calling Milton, showed off another impressive trick at training camp last week by doing a standing back flip that was caught by photographers
Milton was impressive in relief of Drake Maye at the end of his rookie season in New England, completing 22 passes for 29 yards and a touchdown in a victory over the playoff-bound Bills
Still, Milton was impressive in relief of Drake Maye at the end of his rookie season in New England, completing 22 passes for 29 yards and a touchdown in a victory over the playoff-bound Buffalo Bills.
He was similarly strong during his final season at Tennessee, where he showed off his powerful right arm by completing 229 passes for 2,813 yards and 20 touchdowns. However, he did leave some fans critical of his accuracy and touch, as seen in one response to Tuesday’s throw in Oxnard.
‘As a Tennessee fan I want to see him hit a slant,’ joked one Volunteers supporter.
Milton was made expendable in New England by the development of starter Drake Maye, prompting the Patriots to unload him and a seventh-round pick to the Cowboys in return for a fifth-round selection.
Bazooka Joe, as some fans have taken to calling Milton, also showed off another impressive trick at camp last week by doing a standing back flip that was caught by photographers.
