It took three weeks for Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer to give his young quarterback a chance to shine. Joe Milton III took the field with five minutes left to play in Sunday's loss to the Chicago Bears, and he looked confident and poised out there.
Granted, Milton still turned the ball over in his lone drive of the game, but the sole fact that he got a chance should raise some concerns for Jerry Jones' team. While some might take it with a grain of salt, others could be worried about what it means for America's Team's outlook.
For years, Dak Prescott has been deemed one of the weakest links on the team when the football games matter the most. The Cowboys' franchise signal-caller is clearly not the only issue, but he's rarely delivered when the team has put the ball in his hands and urged him to lead them forward.
Joe Milton Replacing Dak Prescott Raises Questions About Cowboys' Outlook
The fact that the Cowoys are already playing their backup QB three games into the season says a lot. Not only does it raise questions about Prescott's ability to get the job done, but the fact that Dallas is already in trouble this early into Schottenheimer's stint indicates that the front office may have hired the wrong man for the job.
Nevertheless, Jones has never sounded overly committed to Prescott. He's taken several not-so-cryptic shots at the veteran gunslinger, and the fact that he's traded for young players like Trey Lance and now Milton shows that he might be bracing for a post-Prescott future already.
The Bears' pass rush kept Prescott on his toes all day long, and losing CeeDee Lamb to an ankle injury did little to help his case. Instead of spreading the ball or looking for George Pickens, he kept force-feeding Jake Ferguson.
He ultimately finished the game with 31 completions on 40 attempts for 251 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions before Milton took the reins of the offense for what seemed to be the most efficient drive of the game for the Cowboys.
Milton showed a lot of promise as a rookie, but with the New England Patriots committed to Drake Maye, they did right by him by sending him to a team where he could potentially become a starter one day. That day, however, isn't here yet.
Milton may have the strongest arm in the game, and he's certainly an athletic freak who can be a dual-threat quarterback, but he showed to be a little raw in the preseason. He needs to keep his cannon of an arm in check, and he needs to improve his ability to read coverage. That will come over time.
The Cowboys can't afford to part ways with Prescott right now. Doing so would lead to a franchise-crippling cap hit, which simply isn't feasible or realistic to absorb. The likeliest time for a release won't be until 2027 when a post-June 1 cut would create $45 million in salary cap savings, according to Spotrac.
Still, the fact that it took so little to pull the plug on him during a game cannot be overlooked. Was it just precautionary to keep him safe in a game that was already out of reach? Are they already in desperation mode? Or is this the beginning of the end for him? Only time will tell, but it's safe to say the Cowboys' outlook under center is murkier than ever.