Joe Milton has never made an official start. Sunday, the former sixth-round pick will get his shot when the Philadelphia Eagles host the New York Giants.
Milton said Thursday that throughout his career as a backup, he's been preparing for this chance.
"I was just pretty much going through the plays, going through the week like I was a starter, or like I was playing, and just being ready," Milton said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer. "And that's what the NFL is about: just being ready when your name is called, and just preparing for those moments."
Milton entered the league with the Patriots and flashed athleticism during preseason action. In Week 18, 2024, Drake Maye took the start, but Milton played the majority of the contest, completing 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown and rushing for another score.
Last year, he spent the season with Dallas, appearing in five games. Milton's last appearance was Week 18, 2025, for the Cowboys when he played the entire second half versus the Giants with Dak Prescott resting (7-13, 73 pass yards, one INT; 43 rush yards).
Milton spent the offseason in Dallas, and while he showed promise again in preseason action, the Cowboys chose Sam Howell as Prescott's backup. Milton signed to the Dallas practice squad, where the Eagles plucked him on Oct. 16 after Jalen Hurts was placed on injured reserve due to blood clots.
Milton was asked Thursday how much of the Eagles' playbook he knows.
"Shoot, whatever's in this week," he said, laughing.
Milton is taking over for Tanner McKee, who has started the past three weeks. The Eagles offense has been a slog for most of the season. During its six-game skid since Week 3, Philly has been outgained by 889 yards (worst in the NFL).
The hope is that Milton can at least provide some pop to the limp unit. He has averaged 10.2 air yards/attempt since 2024, per Next Gen Stats (second-most, min. 50 attempts). Both of Milton's two career pass TDs came on deep passes (20+ air yds).
McKee told reporters he understood why he was benched and has been trying to help Milton prepare.
"He hasn't been here the whole time with training camp and some of those plays, and so just talking to him about different reads, different footwork things that we've had a little more time on task doing here," McKee said. "And so it's been great just communicating with him things that I've seen in the past, things that we've learned from Jalen or that [offensive coordinator] Sean [Mannion] has communicated in the past, or things that we can reiterate to kind of slow his thinking down, so he can just be free and be able to play like the great athlete he is."
The Eagles hope that great athlete can wake up an offense that has struggled all season.
Philly has gone three-and-out on 34.1 percent of drives, the highest rate in the NFL and the highest in a season since the 2014 Raiders (35.9 pct., finished 3-13). The Giants defense has forced a three-and-out on 32.9 percent of drives (best in the NFL).
The Eagles and Giants kick off from Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
