Dak Prescott is reportedly not worried about Jerry Jones trading for Joe Milton III to be his backup. In a move that was supposed to be about possibly creating some competition or even looking to the future, Prescott doesn’t seem bothered by the new, young, shiny toy in the locker room.
For a couple of reasons, he’s right to feel comfortable in his position. For one, Milton has played one NFL game and it was against Buffalo’s second unit defense. While yes, Milton looked shockingly good in that game, it was essentially a glorified scrimmage.
Prescott has played with the Dallas Cowboys for nine seasons, he has no reason to feel like Milton has a real chance at taking his starting job. Jones bringing in Milton is simply a move to replace Rush as the new backup quarterback.
Jones could have drafted a backup — still can — but felt Milton had enough upside to bring him in. Prescott has played 12 games or fewer in three of the last five seasons. If history repeats itself, Prescott is destined to miss a few games over the next few seasons due to injury. This gives Jones and the Cowboys a promising option if Prescott goes down.
That said, Prescott probably feels comfortable, too, because the last time a young quarterback was traded for, he was nothing more than a smoke screen.
Jerry Jones didn't get the results from Joe Milton trade he wanted
This is eerily similar to the Trey Lance trade. The only difference is that Lance came in as the third quarterback on the roster; Milton is currently QB2. This means Jones is at least actually considering having Milton as an option to play if need be.
When Jones took a shot in the dark on Lance, it felt like he was putting pressure on Prescott. It was nothing more than a smoke screen as Lance ended up backing up Rush and essentially was a wasted roster spot.
Now, Jones could be making moves for the future. Prescott is on the books for the next three seasons, which would be his age-34 season.
Just maybe, Jones is getting Milton ready in the same way we thought he was with Lance. If Prescott doesn’t win a Super Bowl in the next three seasons, which is probably the standard Jones has at this point, that will probably trigger Jones to move on from Prescott. Especially if it’s going to cost him upwards of $30 million to keep him around.
Jones traded for Milton not to put pressure on Prescott now. But to let him know his incumbent is waiting. Milton can use the next three seasons to learn the offense, the system and eventually take over.
Then again, Jones rarely makes logical moves when it comes to trades. We’re still waiting to see what Jonathan Mingo can be. Maybe Milton’s fate is closer to Mingo’s than it is Rush’s. That would make Milton no different than Lance, which is probably why Prescott is more excited than frustrated with the move.