Thursday morning, the Dallas Cowboys made a deal to acquire quarterback Joe Milton and a 7th-round selection from the New England Patriots for a 5th-round pick. For once, the Cowboys might have made a rare, intelligent move for the organization.

First things first: any theory believing the Joe Milton deal puts Dak Prescott’s starting job in jeopardy is asinine. Prescott was 2nd in MVP voting in 2023 before signing the biggest deal in NFL history last September, and an injury sidelined him for half of the 2024 season. Prescott is and will be the starter in 2025.

So, why trade for Joe Milton?

Cooper Rush has been the long-term backup for Dak Prescott. The 31-year-old from Central Michigan has been a member of the Cowboys organization since entering the league in 2017, with a brief stint with the New York Giants on their practice squad. Rush has started 13 games in the last 3 seasons for the Cowboys with an 8-5 record, relieving the Cowboys when Prescott was sidelined with an injury. For what a backup needs to do, Rush was the right man for the job. Ready to step in at a minute’s notice and help keep the ship afloat, Rush was an absolute professional.

Rush now goes to the Baltimore Ravens and if the Ravens had to put Rush in, the offense would look different from Lamar Jackson, but the Ravens might not miss a beat in terms of on-field production.

It was only a matter of time until Cooper Rush found a new home, but in 2023, the Cowboys traded a 4th-round pick to the San Fransisco 49ers for former 1st-round selection Trey Lance. Lance was touted to have a lot of athletic ability, flashiness, and possessed a great ounce of potential. However, in two years donning the star, Lance only started the final game of the 2024 season, losing to the Commanders 23-19 and posting 20-34, 244 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.

Rather than the Cowboys securing Lance to a contract extension to back up Dak Prescott or Lance finding a new home around the NFL, he is now being recruited to the Canadian Football League by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. How the mighty have fallen.

The price for Cooper Rush was always understandable with a backup quarterback. It’s like investing in an insurance policy you never hope to need, but if you ever did, you would be covered. The price to acquire Trey Lance was always questionable, and that’s been a theme with recent Cowboys trades (hence the Jonathan Mingo deal in 2024).

Acquiring Joe Milton for this price is reasonable.

I don’t believe a 5th-round selection is a great asking price, especially when you factor in the Cowboys get a 7th-round pick to go with it, this is essentially balancing out to a 6th-round value for Joe Milton. Milton played in one game for the Patriots last year, going 22-29, 241 yards, and 1 touchdown. Comparing Milton’s single performance to Trey Lance’s one start, they are comparable and a little better.

You also must consider that the Cowboys NEEDED an insurance policy. You can’t enter the NFL season with one quarterback on the roster. Looking ahead at the NFL Draft this month, the Cowboys might have done their due diligence and not had any confidence in a rookie being drafted to the team and immediately thrown in with the worst case scenario. So by that logic, why waste a draft pick on a backup quarterback you’re not confident in when someone has some NFL experience on a cheaper deal?

And if Joe Milton doesn’t have the name value you would prefer, would you rather have Aaron Rodgers? I rest my case.

Joe Milton was the perfect option for the Dallas Cowboys to seek out with this value and come in to be Dak Prescott’s backup and potentially learn new tricks in this offensive system.

For once, good job, Dallas.