The Dallas Cowboys signaled the end of the Trey Lance era when they traded for Patriots quarterback Joe Milton, who was set to be New England's QB3 this season after the team signed journeyman Josh Dobbs to back up promising youngster Drake Maye.
Unlike recent trades for Jonathan Mingo, Kenneth Murray and Kaiir Elam, the Cowboys were applauded for taking a flier on Milton. The cost essentially amounts to a Day 3 pick swap.
While Milton has a long way to go in his development, his athleticism and arm talent are fun traits for the new coaching staff to sink their teeth into. He can throw the ball 70 yards through the air with ease and one of his passes at last year's Combine was clocked at 62 miles per hour.
Milton has a greater chance of panning out in Dallas compared to Lance, though it will be interesting to see what Lance does in sunny California after he inked a one-year pact with the LA Chargers worth up to $6.2 million.
It's a great deal for Lance all things considered, and it could potentially net the Cowboys a 2026 compensatory pick, per Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Cowboys could acquire a compensatory pick thanks to Trey Lance
Harris tweeted that Lance "should" net Dallas a comp pick. A sixth-rounder is the most likely outcome, but it's impossible to say at this point in the NFL calendar. For what it's worth, Harris believes the Cowboys will get an additional fifth-rounder after losing Jourdan Lewis.
Cowboys *should* get a comp pick for Trey Lance. My best guess is that it’ll be a sixth rounder in 2026, but there’s a lot to play out still. This is in addition to an expected fifth rounder in 2026 for Jourdan Lewis’ departure. https://t.co/5xcUcKiSHz
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) April 4, 2025
A sixth-round pick is nothing to write home about, but it's better than nothing. "Nothing" is essentially what Lance contributed over his two years in North Texas.
While he started every preseason game in 2024, he appeared in just four regular-season games and his only start came in Week 18 last season. In total, Lance completed 25 of 41 passes (61.0%) for 266 yards and zero touchdowns to one interception in his four regular-season appearances.
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It's not like Lance stood out in preseason, either. His 65.0 PFF passing grade ranked 16th out of 25 QBs who dropped back to pass at least 50 times. He ranked 11th in completion rate and tied for the most interceptions with five.
The Cowboys getting as high as a sixth-round pick for Lance would be a huge win. That could morph into a fifth depending on if Lance gets any playing time next season, but let's not get too ahead of ourselves.
Milton, meanwhile, brings much more upside to Dallas.
The former Tennessee star doesn't have the expectations of being the No. 3 overall pick (he was drafted in the sixth round last year) and his confidence is seemingly in a much better place than Lance, who lost his starting job with the 49ers to a former Mr. Irrelevant in Brock Purdy.