The NFL training camp and preseason are often a whirlwind of hype, where every play—good or bad—is dissected as if it holds the key to a team’s entire season. Most of the time, these moments fade into obscurity, forgotten by the time the regular season kicks off. But every now and then, a play comes along that’s impossible to ignore. That’s exactly what happened during the Dallas Cowboys’ joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday, when backup quarterback Joe Milton III unleashed a jaw-dropping moment that has Cowboys fans buzzing with excitement—and some even calling for a seismic shift at the quarterback position.
The Cowboys acquired the 25-year-old Milton in a savvy April 3 trade with the New England Patriots, sending a fifth-round pick to New England in exchange for Milton and a seventh-round draft pick. For the Patriots, it seemed like a solid deal on paper—Milton, a sixth-round pick (193rd overall) in the 2024 draft, was flipped for a higher draft asset, especially as New England focused on their prized No. 3 overall pick, Drake Maye, as their quarterback of the future.
But after Milton’s electrifying performance in Tuesday’s practice, some Patriots fans are starting to wonder if their team let go of a hidden gem too soon—and for far too little. Local sports talk radio in New England has been abuzz with callers questioning the trade, while Cowboys fans are already proclaiming Dallas got the steal of the century
The play that set the NFL world on fire was a 75-yard touchdown bomb from Milton to wide receiver Jalen Brooks, a 2023 seventh-round pick out of South Carolina. The pass, captured in a viral video posted by Dallas KDFW-TV sports anchor Jeff Kolb, soared through the air with pinpoint precision, landing perfectly in Brooks’ arms in the end zone. The Rams’ defense could only watch in awe as the ball traveled a distance never before recorded in the NFL’s NextGen Stats era, which began in 2016.
Absolute BOMB from Cowboys QB Joe Milton, hitting Jalen Brooks 75 yards in the air during today’s joint practice with the Rams.
🎥 @Chris_Hanks5 @FOX4 pic.twitter.com/w0QWNV8pru
— Jeff Kolb (@JeffKolbFOX4) August 6, 2025
To put this in perspective, the longest pass ever recorded in an NFL game, per NextGen Stats, was a 70.5-yard throw by Baker Mayfield in 2020 while with the Cleveland Browns. That pass, against the Baltimore Ravens, fell incomplete. Milton’s 75-yard strike not only surpassed that mark but was also completed for a touchdown—a feat that, while not an official NFL stat due to its practice setting, has left fans and analysts speechless.
The reaction from Cowboys Nation was nothing short of electric. Social media exploded with excitement, with one fan boldly declaring, “Is it just me or is this our guy?” Another proclaimed, “We fleeced the Pats. We gonna get a first-round pick if we trade him!” Some went even further, predicting a changing of the guard in Dallas. “Milton will be starter by Week 8 and never look back,” one fan asserted, while another confidently stated, “It’s a matter of time.”
Of course, the idea of Milton overtaking Dak Prescott, the NFL’s highest-paid player with a four-year, $240 million contract, seems like a long shot—especially as long as Prescott remains healthy. But Milton’s performance has undeniably shifted the conversation, particularly in the battle for the backup quarterback role.
Milton is currently competing with Will Grier for the No. 2 spot behind Prescott on the Cowboys’ depth chart. The team dropped a major hint about where that competition stands, announcing this week that Milton will be ahead of Grier for Sunday’s preseason opener against the Rams. This decision signals that the Cowboys’ coaching staff sees something special in the former Tennessee Volunteer, whose raw athleticism and cannon of an arm are impossible to ignore.
While Milton’s viral throw may not rewrite the Cowboys’ quarterback hierarchy just yet, it’s clear he’s turning heads and sparking dreams of what could be. For now, Cowboys fans are riding the high of a practice play that felt like a glimpse into the future—one where Joe Milton III might just be “The One.”