Cowboys backup Joe Milton III makes a case in preseason opener vs. Cardinals

The Dallas Cowboys opened their preseason slate with a familiar twist: the starting quarterback did not play, leaving the spotlight on the backup group. In the team’s Aug. 22 game against the Arizona Cardinals, head coach Brian Schottenheimer turned to Joe Milton III, and Milton used the opportunity to display the dual threat traits coaches look for in the second unit, including strong arm talent and the ability to extend plays with his legs.

Preseason games are built for evaluation, and this one offered a clean look at how the Cowboys plan to operate when the starting quarterback is not available. With Dallas’ starter sidelined for the matchup, Milton’s performance carried extra weight in a game environment where timing, protection, and decision-making can quickly expose differences between first-team and deeper depth-chart options.

For the Cardinals, the matchup also served as a stress test. Arizona’s defense, facing a quarterback who can push the ball downfield and move outside the pocket when lanes appear, had to account for both the throw and the run threat. That matters in preseason because offensive wrinkles often show up in the second and third series, when teams start mixing formations and altering tempo.

Schottenheimer’s decision to name Milton III the starter for the game underscores a key roster-building question for Dallas heading into the regular season. Backups are not evaluated only on completion percentage or one drive, but on how consistently they can run the offense: getting through progressions, maintaining ball security, and sustaining drives with accurate throws and decisive movement.

Milton’s emergence as the quarterback getting the game’s reps also becomes relevant in the broader quarterback ecosystem around an NFL roster. Even when a team expects its starter to lead the offense, the backup spot can influence everything from practice plan choices to play-calling philosophy in the red zone. A backup who can both threaten vertically and function as a runner gives the coaching staff more options if starter reps or injury-prevention decisions change later in the year.

What to watch next is whether Dallas keeps expanding Milton’s role in subsequent preseason action and how he performs against later-game pressures, including tighter coverage looks and more complex defensive packages. For now, the clearest takeaway is that Milton III earned the team’s preseason start against Arizona and did so with an eye-catching skill set that aligns with the Cowboys’ need for a functional, multi-dimensional option behind the starters.