Former Tennessee QB Joe Milton Lands New NFL Opportunity

Two Tennessee starting quarterbacks have been drafted to the NFL during the Tennessee-Josh Huepel era, and now one of them is getting a fresh start with a former division rival.

NFL Insider Jordan Schultz announced via X Friday morning that the Philadelphia Eagles signed Joe Milton to their 53-man roster from the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad.

The Eagles' decision to sign Milton follows the news that Jalen Hurts will miss their week 6 matchup against the Carolina Panthers due to a blood clot. Milton is now one of three quarterbacks on Philadelphia's roster, joining fourth-year quarterback Tanner McKee and rookie quarterback Cole Payton. The former Vols quarterback is expected to serve as McKee's backup.

Joe Milton's College Career

The now-Eagles' quarterback started his college career with the Michigan Wolverines as a four-star recruit in the 2018 class. Milton spent three seasons with the Wolverines, appearing in four games in each of his first two seasons, before starting 5 of the 6 games he appeared in during the 2020 season. In Milton's fourteen appearances and five starts at Michigan, he totaled 1,194 passing yards, 5 passing touchdowns, 156 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, and 6 interceptions.

Following the 2020 season, Joe Milton Transferred to Tennessee, where he started the first two games of the 2021 season, before suffering an injury against Pitt in his second start. After Milton's injury, he was replaced by Hendon Hooker as the starting QB and appeared in six more games backing up Hooker for the Volunteers. In Milton's 8 appearances for the Vols during the 2021 season, he totaled 375 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 129 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.

In 2022, Milton served primarily as Hendon Hooker's backup until Hooker went down with an injury against South Carolina in week 12. Milton started the last two games for the Vols after appearing in 7 games as a backup earlier in the season, totaling 971 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions through his 9 appearances.

Milton was named Tennessee's opening-day starter for the 2023 season, starting all 12 games for the Volunteers and leading them to an 8-4 record. Milton set a career high in passing yards, passing touchdowns, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns during his first complete season as a starter, totaling 2,813 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, 299 rushing yards, 7 rushing touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions.

Milton's NFL Career Before Philadelphia

Milton was drafted with the 193rd overall pick in the 6th round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, following his six-season college career. Milton played in one game for the Patriots, taking over for Drake Maye in the first quarter of their week 18 matchup with the Buffalo Bills. In Milton's lone game played for the Pats, he went 22 of 29 passing for 241 yards, 1 touchdown, and also ran the ball 10 times for 19 yards and a rushing touchdown.

Following the 2025 season, the Dallas Cowboys traded a fifth-round pick to acquire Joe Milton and a seventh-round pick. Milton appeared in 4 games off the bench for the Cowboys, completing 15 of 24 passes for 183 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions, and also rushed the ball 5 times for 50 yards.

In 2026, Milton initially made the Cowboys' 53-man roster before being waived in favor of running back Emari Demercado the following day. A few days after being waived, the former Volunteer QB was added to Dallas's practice squad, where he stayed through the first 5 weeks of the 2026 NFL season.

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