It was another ugly showing for Joe Milton as the Dallas Cowboys came up short in their second preseason game. Milton was once again erratic and took too long going through his reads, culminating in taking a sack in the end zone for a safety because his eyes were downfield.
The 25-year-old has not progress to where the Cowboys would have hoped at this point, and now fans are left wondering whether Dallas will carry three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.
Brian Schottenheimer defended Milton after the game, but he gave an eyebrow-raising answer when asked if the team has a backup quarterback they can trust (h/t to Jon Machota of The Athletic for the quote).
"I think we have to believe that. I think we do believe that. … Joe Milton is in Year 2. I’m not panicked. It’s not just them. It’s us as coaches, it’s the other players, it’s all of us. We’re not pushing the panic button. We’re pushing the work button."
Cowboys' Brian Schottenheimer said the quiet part out loud about Joe Milton
It speaks volumes that Schottenheimer mentioned the word "panic" unprompted. That would indicate there is a little pit of unrest within Dallas' coaching staff about the backup QB job.
That is completely justified based on how Milton has looked in two games against second- and third-stringers. However, the fact Schottenheimer felt the need to make that disclaimer indicates he is, in fact, worried.
At some point, the Cowboys need to start evaluating - and developing - other players on the roster besides Milton. He's been so bad that Dallas' receivers haven't made a peep in the preseason despite generating some impressive separation.
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Ryan Flournoy, for example, has just three catches for 47 yards on eight targets. The likes of Flournoy, Jonathan Mingo, Jalen Brooks, Traeshon Holden and Jalen Cropper have played a combined 147 receiving snaps in preseason, per PFF. They have 11 catches on 25 targets, equating to a 44 percent catch rate.
Whether it's starting Will Grier and giving Milton the second half, the Cowboys have to get the former more snaps just to get a better look at their pass-catchers.
In the bigger picture, though, how could Schottenheimer have any confidence that Milton could keep the team competitive if Dak Prescott were to miss time? Granted, the season would be over on the spot if Prescott suffered another big injury, but Cooper Rush was able to keep Dallas in games during his time as QB2.
While Milton still has some trust from Schottenheimer, the first-time head coach is running out of excuses. That became clear when he insisted he's not panicked about Milton.
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