Patriots' Joe Milton: Produces two TDs in pro debut
Rotowire
Milton completed 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown while adding 16 rushing yards and a TD on 10 carries in Sunday's 23-16 win over the Bills.
With nothing on the line for either team, Drake Maye played the first series before exiting the game and handing the offense over to Milton, who was making his NFL debut. The 2024 sixth-round pick looked good, albeit against a Buffalo defense resting a lot of key personnel, and he ran in a one-yard touchdown in the first quarter before connecting with Kayshon Boutte (head) on a 48-yard score in the second after Milton flashed some impressive elusiveness against the Bills' pass rush. While there are still questions about whether Milton's throwing mechanics and accuracy issues will allow him to succeed in the NFL, his athleticism should keep him in New England as a backup to Maye in 2025.
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Patriots' Joe Milton: Active for season finale
Rotowire
Milton is listed as active for Sunday's game versus the Bills.
As is starter Drake Maye, as well as veteran backup Jacoby Brissett. However, Milton, who has been serving as the Patriots' No. 3 emergency quarterback, could potentially enter the team's season finale at some point in order to have him log some snaps to see how he looks, with an eye toward assessing whether he might be a viable No. 2 option behind Maye in 2025, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.
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Patriots' Joe Milton: Inactive for Week 1
Rotowire
Milton is inactive for Sunday's game against the Bengals.
Though Milton made the Patriots' 53-man roster, he remains the team's clear-cut No. 3 option at QB. He thus figures to be a regular scratch as long as both Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye are healthy.
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Patriots' Joe Milton: Lands in New England
Rotowire
The Patriots selected Milton in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 193rd overall.
The Tennessee signal-caller predictably wowed folks with a bazooka of an arm during throwing drills at the NFL Scouting Combine and ran a respectable 4.62-second 40-yard dash time at 6-foot-5, 246 pounds, but he didn't carve out a full-time starting role until his sixth collegiate season in 2023. Even then, Milton failed to put up eye-popping stats in an offense in which Hendon Hooker had been a Heisman Trophy contender one year prior. Milton is the definition of a project at the quarterback position, and if he's unable to beat out Bailey Zappe for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart behind veteran Jacoby Brissett and first-round pick Drake Maye, Milton could be converted to tight end, where he might profile as an interesting prospect thanks to his size and athleticism.
