When looking at the totality of a team, there’s only so much you can pull out of the preseason that actually matters. That we can establish as fact right away.
Remember the 2008 Detroit Lions who went 0-16? They went 4-0 in the preseason. You can go back just one year prior, and you’ll see the Super Bowl champion New York Giants sporting a 1-3 preseason record.
For all intents and purposes, the exhibition slate serves more as a tryout for four or five position spots rather than an offering plate for what is to come in the 17-game regular season.
This year’s Dallas Cowboys prove that even further. In a league that likes to play starters for at least a drive or two in the preseason, the Cowboys will wrap up their three-game showcase Friday against Atlanta without playing quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receivers George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, defensive end Micah Parsons, cornerback DaRon Bland, tight end Jake Ferguson and so many others.
So, when the Cowboys fell flat of just about every positive expectation in a 31-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night, you just take it with a grain of salt. As head coach Brian Schottenheimer put it after last week’s similarly gross preseason loss, the team is basically playing a round of 18 holes with a 7-iron.
However, there are still some individual things that you can pull from the first eight quarters of football this preseason that do hold weight. Mazi Smith might not be your starting 1-tech defensive tackle. Jonathan Mingo’s PCL injury will affect the wide receiver depth chart. This team is no closer to figuring out its running back depth chart than it was three weeks ago.
But no other takeaway stands as firm this preseason than this team having a big issue behind its most important player. While it’s far from time to panic about the Dallas Cowboys as a whole, it is time to sound the alarm on backup quarterback Joe Milton.
Brian Schottenheimer ‘not panicked’
On Saturday night, Milton put up his second consecutive lackluster performance in as many weeks in a game that featured him not seeing a blitzing defensive back that resulted in a safety, a bad interception on a ball he badly overthrew and a final stat line that somehow looks worse than it did a week ago.
He finished the night 9-for-18 for 122 yards and a career-low 48.8 passer rating. After Milton graded his performance as a “D, D-minus” a week ago, it’s tough to see how this one isn’t a straight F.
“I wouldn’t say I’m concerned,” Schottenheimer said. “We didn’t get into a rhythm offensively. We came out with a different mindset to run the ball.”
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, shown during Saturday’s game, said he sees no reason to panic about backup quarterback Joe Milton. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Agreed. The offense didn’t give Milton any favors after coming out with six runs in the first 10 plays and not generating any rhythm or momentum in those carries to Miles Sanders. But when Milton had his chances, he blew them.
It makes you wonder what he’d do with the chance to start in place of Dak Prescott if that’s needed at some point in this season.
Despite the horrid start, Milton still has the trust from Schottenheimer and the coaching staff. For a guy who was scouted and acquired in a trade with the New England Patriots over the offseason to be the backup to Prescott, there’s going to be a longer leash on his mistakes. The belief is still strong.
“I think we have to believe that,” Schottenheimer said. “I think we do believe that. ... I’m not panicked.”
One thing to keep in mind is that Schottenheimer has not anointed Milton as the official QB2 going into the year. Could Dallas evaluate quarterbacks on the street after the Aug. 26 cutdown date? Or will the Cowboys ride with the decision they made back in April when they acquired Milton?
“I feel like I don’t have to decide anything today,” Schottenheimer said postgame. “We’re going to keep letting these guys practice. ... It’s like all of these position battles. We don’t have to decide anything now.”
Missing Cooper Rush?
It was ominous to look on the opposing sideline Saturday night and see Ravens backup quarterback Cooper Rush — who departed over the offseason after eight years in Dallas — having an acceptable outing. He still had his mistakes, including two interceptions, but it made you wonder if Dallas made the wrong decision over the offseason.
“Cooper Rush has played in this league for a long time,” Schottenheimer said. “What he did tonight, it didn’t surprise anybody in the first half. I’ve seen him do that here for the last three years. Joe Milton is in year two. I’m not panicked. It’s not just him. It’s us as coaches. It’s other players. It’s all of it.”
Even further, former Cowboys quarterback Trey Lance has had a solid preseason in Los Angeles playing for the Chargers. Through three games, Lance has completed 27 of his 49 passes for 296 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions while adding 81 yards and another score on the ground. Even if the Cowboys wanted to stay young behind Prescott this offseason, Lance is looking like he would have been the better decision.
Fortunately for Milton, one preseason game still remains. He could rewrite this narrative with one strong performance and offer a shred of optimism as a fill-in starter if Prescott does go down.
But if we see a repeat of these last two performances, the Cowboys might be better served hunting the waiver wire on cutdown day for a serviceable veteran. Milton has six days to convince them to do otherwise.
“We’re not pushing the panic button,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re pushing the work button.”