The Dallas Cowboys made four trades this past offseason to help them fill holes they couldn’t in either free agency or the draft. Instead of signing a free agent corner, they traded for recent first-round pick Kaiir Elam to help stem the tide while Trevon Diggs recovers from knee surgery. They acquired LB Kenneth Murray to be the man in the middle of their defense as another first-round talent. Recently, they traded for WR George Pickens, one of the league’s most talented wideouts, after not signing anyone of note or drafting a potential starter (or anyone) at the position.

But there was another trade that Stephen Jones and the Cowboys front office pulled off this offseason, and that was to acquire QB Joe Milton from the New England Patriots. Milton didn’t have the draft pedigree of any of the other three trade acquisitions. In fact, he’s only started one NFL game, but his ceiling as a backup QB seems to be sky high.

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Recently, a Sports Illustrated article ranked Milton as the 17th-best backup in the league.

17. Joe Milton III, Dallas Cowboys

Some might argue that this ranking is too low for Milton after dazzling in his Week 18 start last season for the Patriots. However, Milton, who went 22-of-29 for 241 yards and two total touchdowns, faced the Buffalo Bills’ backups a week before the playoffs. The Patriots were quick to trade the 2024 sixth-round pick. But the Cowboys were impressed with Milton’s lone start, sending this year’s fifth-round pick to New England to land Dak Prescott’s backup.

It might not seem like a high ranking, but for a 2024 sixth-round pick who was basically acquired for similar capital (a fifth in exchange for Milton and a seventh) it’s a gaudy placement. This is especially true considering the pedigree of several of the QBs Milton was ranked in front of.

There are 10 players ranked below Milton who had a higher draft pedigree. Among those names are a fifth-round pick from the same 2024 class (No. 27 Spencer Rattler, Saints), two veteran fourth rounders (No. 20 Jarrett Stidham, No. 24 Josh Dobbs) and five players who were drafted on Day 2 as second or third-round picks.

The crowning acheivement though is that there are also two former first-round picks slotted after Milton.

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Kenny Pickett checks in at No. 23 while Mitchell Trubisky sits at No. 29.

For his part, Milton has impressed onlookers at the recent open OTA sessions the media’s been able to watch in Dallas. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer seems to love the acquisition, too, as Dak Prescott’s new backup. His former backup, Cooper Rush, checks in on the list at No. 13 as the Ravens‘ top reserve.

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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys QB Joe Milton ranked No. 17 backup for 2025