NFL Preseason Game Preview: Ravens at Cowboys | Joe Milton to get the start again

NFL Preseason Game Preview: Ravens at Cowboys | Joe Milton to get the start again

Cowboys first year head coach Brian Shottenheimer said this week that he wants to find out what his team has and quarterback Joe Milton. Obviously, we know Dak Prescott is QB1, but what about that backup position, right? So, Milton, of course, he also started against the Rams in the Cowboys very first preseason game. He was 17 of 29 for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception in that game. Now, Will Greer, he’s the other in-house option to serve as Dak Prescott’s backup during the regular season. Let’s welcome in our NFL analysts, also the best dress analyst, the combination that we have in Damen Harris and Emory Hunt. So, gentlemen, we know that Joe Milton has like a cannon of an arm. Emry, I’ll come to you first here. What do you need to see him refine a little bit in this preseason game here coming up? The consistency and developing a change up. Everything can’t be a thousand miles an hour, right? Whether it’s a short pass or a deep ball. We know you have the strong arm, but you have to rein it in and utilize it situationally. So, I want to see him go flatline his game. I want to see the routine stuff look consistent, the dump offs, the flat routes, the low crossers, hit those and continue to move the football down the field. We know you can take that deep shot deep down the field off a play action, but can you hit the consistent plays consistently? And that’s what I want to see from him in this preseason matchup. Yeah, I’m with Emory. I want to see him do the little things. Listen, we all know you’ve got a cannon for an arm, but we want to see you be able to throw a three-step slant with a little less velocity than a 20 yard post. And to echo a little bit more of Emry’s point, I want to see Joe Milton take the checkdowns, whether it’s a back, whether it’s a tight end. Like, listen, you’re working a lot of different concepts. You’re working a lot of different route patterns down the field. You’re trying to get comfortable with all of your receivers, but take the profit. They always say you can’t go broke taking a profit. So, I think one of the next steps in Joe Milton’s progression, if you will, would just be not always looking for that big play threat. A lot of times when you see quarterbacks with a really strong arm, they like to depend on that instead of the fundamentals, like I said earlier, just taking the profit, taking what the defense gives you. So, I think if we keep seeing that from Joe Milton, obviously compared or in combination with the insane arm talent that he has, I think the word around the street that Joe Milton could be a starting quarterback for a lot of NFL teams, I think he’ll continue to prove that. And it’s interesting, guys, in terms of starters. We’ve kind of seen it eb and flow, right? Whether these teams actually put their starters out there in the preseason, whether they don’t. It feels like this year we’re starting to see some of the starters get some reps, whether it’s like a first sequence or what have you. Now, when it comes to Dak Prescott, we know what he can do. He’s been in the MVP conversation not that long ago. Damen, he is coming off of an injury. So, do you think Dak Prescott should get in there and play in the preseason ahead of the regular season? Absolutely not. If I’m Jerry Jones, if I’m coach Shottenheimimer, I’m going to say this. A lot of the things you just said were true. Jacquellyn Dak has been in the MVP conversation and he’s done a lot of really good things really well at times. But if I’m not mistaken, Jerry Jones came out in talking about Micah Parson’s contract situation and talked about, well, we just signed a player to $60 million a year, made him the highest paid at his position, and then he went out and got hurt. And then you mix that with the comments of coach Shottenheimimer saying, “Well, no, I want to see what these young guys can do. I want to see what our team can do.” In my mind, this sounds like an organization that has a veteran quarterback that they have committed a lot of money to, but it just hasn’t gotten them to where they need to go. And when we talk about the Cowboys, obviously, we’re talking about Super Bowls. Dak has not delivered that yet. So, as he’s getting towards the end of his prime, as you start to see other veteran quarterbacks with these big deals get traded, get offloaded, maybe this is the perfect opportunity that Joe Milton needs or could be Will Greer if he wants to make a case for himself. But in totality, it sounds like the Dallas Cowboys organization there. It’s not that they want to move on and turn the page, but they also want to have a backup plan and they want to start to develop that with Joe Milton. Yeah, it’s at least a Super Bowl, at least an NFC championship. That is the bar for the Dallas Cowboys. Now, Emry, the the offense looks a little bit different, right? He’s got some new weapons. He has George Pickins there. Yes, he has a new head coach. Shotimer is not completely new to the organization, but still some newer things. So, is it crucial that Dak gets in there and tries to learn this this newer offense in your eyes? That’s a great question and I’m kind of torn between this because Dak Prescott, knowing how he prepares, knowing how he performs and knowing how he is much of a leader on that football team and how many reps they get they give him out there in practice during training camp. I’m not worried about him per se in terms of learning this new offense and playing. But when you’re talking about playing in a preseason game, really you’re talking about the operation, right? Can we get in and out of the huddle? Can we get the calls in from someone that’s that may be on the sideline or someone that may be on a in a booth, you don’t really get that type of nuance in the practices during training camp? So maybe in a way, yes, but at the end of the day, Dak Prescott is someone that if he was a secondyear player or third year player, I say yes, absolutely, because you want to see how this thing rolls. But he’s a true tried and trusted veteran. So, I I would say no because again, this is more about developing the guys behind him, the the QB2s, a guy like Milton that needs a ton of work. So, I would, you know, yield to him more so than forcing that to get out there for a series because you’re right, you don’t really learn anything in a series anyway for of all the things that I name. All right. We know the preseason, to your point, Emory, it’s all about developing players. It’s all about position battles, right? So, Emry, I’ll come to you first here. What position battles are you honing in on for the Dallas Cowboys here? I see why y’all had Damian Damen and I on. We were talking about America’s position. You know what I’m saying? The running back position. If we go all the way back to Cowboys, when the Cowboys are relevant, Calvin Hill, Walt Garrison, Tony Dorset, Hersha Walker, Emis Smith, DeMarco Murray, Ezekiel Elliott, I can go on and with the Dallas Cowboys running back. So, when the Cowboys are good, they have a guy that you could say that’s the tailback for the Dallas Cowboys. Right now, we don’t know who that is. We didn’t know who that was last year. And they got a bunch of guys that are competing. Javvante Williams, Miles Sanderson, veterans, two rookies that have been very impressive. And Jaden Blue out of Texas and also Phil Moff out of Clemson. And I’m a big fan of Duce Vaughn because you can’t hit what you can’t catch. You can’t hurt what you can’t touch. And this is someone that needs more opportunities out there on the field. So, whoever they choose needs to be the guy because the run game is what they’ll need come postseason time. Dag gone it, man. Me and Emry are like peanut butter and jelly because I tell y’all, I sat down. went to the buter high school football game last night and then I once I got home I sat down I was preparing my notes and I’m thinking okay position battle to watch Cowboys running back why because every great Cowboys team has had a phenomenal running back and at in the same breath Dak Prescott in my own opinion played his best when he had Ezekiel Elliott as his counterpart in the backfield. So Emry hat off to you. We always on the same wavelength. I’m going to move on to the next position. I got to go defensive line and we’re not going to ignore the elephant in the room and that’s the fact that as of right now Micah Parsons is not playing for the Dallas Cowboys. So, it’s going to take everybody interior lineman, outside edge rushers, it’s going to take everybody to fill the void that Micah Parsons is going to leave behind. You’ve got a guy like Mazy Smith, he was a first round pick last season. He’s even come out and been vocal about the fact that I didn’t play that well. You’ve got to go out and make plays. after the last preseason game, he talked about, “Oh, well, I was just out there. I didn’t really make any plays.” As a first round pick, there’s an expectation. So, show up and do what you’re talking about. That’s another that’s another part of your job, not just showing up and talk about it. You got to be about it. And there’s other guys behind you that are going to compete as well to try to get that spot. And then you look on the outside, you’ve got guys like Don Donovan Ezarque. I want to make sure I said that right. A veteran like Dante Fowler who’s been in the league for a long time. You just got guys at the position that have the talent and have the ability. And quite frankly, there’s a hole there with Micah Parsons not being there. It’s just about who’s going to make the most of the opportunity, man. And Cowboys fans are certainly hoping that that Micah Parson’s deal gets worked out, guys. Let’s go to the Ravens. So, Damen, I’ll come back to you. What position battle are you watching for Baltimore? Interestingly enough, when you talk about the Baltimore Ravens in a position battle, my first thought went to Kicker. I mean, obviously, we know they’ve just moved on from the all-time great Justin Tucker. And when I think about the Baltimore Ravens, it’s something that has always made them successful, always made them playoff contenders and one of the best teams in the league, especially in the NFC, is the fact that they are always superior in the kicking game. You always know as long as you cross the 50, we’ve got a chance at three points. that allows your quarterback and Lamar Jackson to play with a different mentality of just okay, we don’t have to go down and score touchdowns on every drive because of course that’s what you’re trying to do. But at the end of the day, we just need points. We need to secure possession and end the drive with points. We used to say at Alabama all the time, every possession ends with a kick. So, obviously, I’ve got to look at the at the kicking competition for the Baltimore Ravens. Tyler Loop looks like he’s doing a phenomenal job as a rookie stepping up and being ready to fill in that spot. It doesn’t seem like too much of a competition right now, but again, that’s just an intricate piece of this Baltimore Ravens DNA. And so, they’re going to need Tyler Loop to be as consistent as he’s shown in the preseason and be that that guaranteed points, if you will, to end a drive. I look at the defensive side of the ball for the Ravens on the edge, these reserve outside linebackers and edge rushers. We know Calvin is going to be the starter. We know Odifa always is going to be a starter. We know Mike Green is going to be a hired situational pass rusher for them coming out of Marshall and he had a really good debut in the preseason game. But you talk about these veterans like David Ajabu who’s worked himself back from injury. Tavius Robertson who’s had a very good camp and Ada Isaac who had a really good game last week in the preseason. And can one of those guys or multiple of these guys step up and and rise to the level of the occasion? Because just like we talked about with the Dallas Cowboys running backs, when the Ravens defense is even more dominant or when they’re feared, they have multiple guys coming off the edge that can rush the passer and create havoc if they can develop that depth behind those two frontline starters in addition to Mike Green who is going to be a guy this year. They’re going to be a sign significant uh problem. I would also keep an eye out for Malik Ham whom they really like played in the USFL but they’ve been on that roster for a while and he’s working himself back from injury. So, that’s another guy that’s in the mix also for Baltimore. All right, guys. One of my favorite parts about football is the storylines, right? I know it’s the preseason and maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but I’m kind of thinking of this as like a Cooper Rush revenge game, maybe. I don’t know. Longtime backup quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. A very serviceable backup as well whenever Dak was dealing with injuries. Um, how do you feel, Emaria, about Cooper Rush being Lamar Jackson’s backup based off of what you saw, I guess, in Dallas, but then also the first preseason game was a little wonky for Cooper Rush. Yeah. Don’t don’t bring up Dallas. Don’t try to get that smoke off of I’m glad you brought that up, Jacquine, because both of these Ravens backup quarterbacks need to need to tighten up. You know what I’m saying? To put it cleanly and lightly on Gail King’s network because when you think about Picture the full body of work, Emory, come on. No, it’s not. I’m I’m not letting them off the hook. They were five for 16 last week. That’s embarrassing. And when the when they changed the backup quarterback position for Baltimore, we’re used to seeing guys that are very similar to Lamar Jackson in terms of athleticism. Man, Cooper Rush was out there getting sacked. And you saw Deon Liry out there getting sacked. It was like, man, if Lamar goes down, knock on wood, they’re in trouble. So, this is a game that Cooper Rush has to look like the Dallas Cowboys Cooper Rush. And Devin Liry has to look like he did at NC State, not Kentucky. Because if he goes back to NC State, now they have something. But both of these guys really need this preseason game because last week, five of 16, a couple of picks, not good. Yeah, Emry, I’m laughing at the fact that you can’t even keep a straight face while you saying this. Like, it’s comedy what we saw from these backup quarterbacks. And I want to bring up a point because Emry just clearly laid it out about it as honest and true as you can. But think about something like this. When you’ve got talented receivers who do their job and they get open, you know, Zay Flowers, he creates a lot of separation, but you’ve got these receiving threats, Mark Andrews, so on and so forth. They have a thought in their mind. If I don’t get open on my route, guess what Lamar is going to do? He’s going to be able to run out around the field, extend the play, and let me uncover myself from the defensive back, linebacker, safety, whoever’s covering me. And then I’ll have a second opportunity essentially to run another route and get open. And that’s where a lot of these big passing plays come from with the Baltimore offense. So obviously we need to see better play from the backup quarterbacks in general just to beat quarterbacks in the National Football League. Like that’s first and foremost. But again, when you talk about backups, like is there really an adequate backup to Lamar Jackson? I mean, in my mind, I would think that it’d be a player like Jaden Daniels, which obviously he’s clearly a QB1, but I’m just saying there it’s hard to replicate what Lamar brings to the offense. So to Emry’s point, if you can’t do that, then you’ve got to be a guy that can just deliver the ball on time where it needs to be. All right, they got to tighten up those backup quarterbacks in Baltimore. Damen Emry, we certainly appreciate it. Hang tight. More to come from the guys in just a moment, but in the meantime, let’s get a look at the odds to win the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are not even on this short list, but the Ravens, they are tied for the best odds with the defending champion, Philadelphia Eagles, at 7 to one.

Emory Hunt and Damien Harris join CBS Sports HQ Spotlight to preview Ravens vs Cowboys in the preseason.

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