Joe Milton is enjoying his first few months as a member of the Cowboys, and he isn’t afraid to compare his new situation in a positive manner to his first professional home.

When the former Patriots quarterback spoke highly of Dak Prescott following a Cowboys training camp practice this week, Milton noted that the veteran has helped him in a way that his old team didn’t.

“Dak is a great leader,” Milton told reporters, via Cowboys.com’s Tommy Yarrish. “All respect to him. He literally goes out of his way to help me, no matter if the coach is talking in the meeting, he literally goes out of his way to help.

“I’ve been in another building. I know how that goes. It’s just very different over here.”

If Milton’s message wasn’t blunt enough there, he made his feelings about the Patriots clearer when he was asked if he wanted a fresh start.

“Definitely, I preferred it,” Milton replied. “That was something me and my team put together. They were able to get it done, I really didn’t have to do much or say much. So just shout out to my agent, that’s pretty much it.”

Milton, who the Patriots took in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, was New England’s third-string quarterback for nearly the entirety of his rookie season, backing up Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett. But he got a chance to shine in the Patriots’ Week 18 win over the Bills, throwing for 241 yards and a touchdown to go with a rushing score.

Following that performance, some presumed that Milton was set to be the Patriots’ primary backup at quarterback for the 2025 season. However, New England agreed to a deal with veteran Joshua Dobbs at the onset of free agency, clouding Milton’s future with the team.

After multiple weeks of rumors, the Patriots traded Milton to the Cowboys in April in a swap of late-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft (New England received a fifth-rounder, Dallas received a seventh-rounder). More than a month after the deal, Milton called his trade to the Cowboys a “blessing” for four reasons: playing in the heat, a dome, for “America’s Team,” and getting the chance to learn from Prescott.

Milton’s comments at the start of Cowboys training camp aren’t the first time he’s thrown some shade at the Patriots since he’s been traded. In May, he favorably compared new Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s offense to the offense he played under with Alex Van Pelt, the Patriots’ offensive coordinator last season.

“It’s way different,” Milton said of the Cowboys’ offensive language in May. “This offense here brings me back more to my college days. My last offense was more everybody get tagged on which routes. This offense here is more fast and for sure explosive.”

Milton made a similar comment as he compared the two offenses again at the start of Cowboys training camp.

“At the Patriots, it was more everybody telling everybody what they’re doing based off the play, how long the play call was, the play call’s longer,” Milton said. “Over here, it pretty much goes back to my high school and college days, one word is a whole concept. I think learning the offense early like that, and coming in new to an offense, it’s pretty good to have that type of system.”

Milton will get the opportunity to be a primary backup quarterback in Dallas. He’s currently competing with veteran Will Grier for that spot, but Milton is currently getting second-team reps and is even expected to get first-team reps in training camp as the Cowboys manage Prescott’s workload.

Prescott said that he’s liked what he’s seen from Milton to this point, noting that he’s willing to seek advice.

“Joe is a blast, whether it be in meetings, whether it be on the field, you see the energy on the field, whether I’m making a play, Will is making play or he’s in, posing on the sidelines or doing dances after he runs out of bounds or scores a touchdown.” Prescott said.

“That’s contagious, that’s very contagious. And Joe’s a guy that’s going to push me to be better and each and every day, and we encourage that in the room, that’s the competition, that’s part of it.”

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