It’s hard to put into words how much vitriol Dallas Cowboys fans have for Jerry Jones right now. The Micah Parsons trade buzz has never been louder, and his decision to trade for Joe Milton this offseason has aged like a glass of milk in the Texas heat.

While Milton has not lived up to the hype he generated in training camp, he might have saved the Cowboys from the worst version of themselves. Allow us to explain.

The Colts declared Daniel Jones the winner of their quarterback competition over Anthony Richardson, who was the No. 4 overall pick just two years ago. It stands to reason that Richardson is not long for Indianapolis, and you have to think that Jerry Jones would be champing at the bit to acquire a quarterback with Richardson’s skill set if he didn’t already have Milton.

Cowboys’ Joe Milton trade saved Jerry Jones from a reckless Anthony Richardson decision

Richardson and Milton have a lot of similarities.

An obvious parallel is their arm strength. Both QBs can launch a football 50 yards with a simple flick of the wrist. They can deliver the ball with elite velocity and fit throws into the finest of windows. They also have the athleticism to navigate pressure and keep defenses honest with their mobility.

Their biggest flaws, though, are why Richardson is seemingly on his way out with the Colts, and why Milton isn’t quite ready to be the Cowboys’ QB2. On top of struggling to stay healthy, Richardson – like Milton – is highly inaccurate. A lot of that boils down to poor and lazy footwork. That has been a consistent theme for Milton over the first two weeks of preseason.

Richardson’s stock is the lowest it’s been as a pro, but he could still fetch a decent return given his raw talent and status as a former top five pick. All it cost to acquire Milton was a 2025 fifth-round pick. Dallas also got a seventh-round pick in return so it was essentially a day three pick swap.

The Milton trade has not aged well. The expectation was that he would step in as Prescott’s backup after Dallas moved on from Cooper Rush and Trey Lance. He simply isn’t ready for that right now, but it’s important to remember he’s under contract through the 2027 season

The Cowboys still have plenty of time to develop Milton. They would not have that same luxury with Richardson even though he is signed for two more years.

That isn’t to say Milton is a better player than Richardson. They were sixth- and first-round picks, respectively, for a reason. However, trading for Milton undoubtedly saved Jones from the temptation to free Richardson from Indianapolis.

While Milton has looked terrible, Richardson would have caused a much bigger headache.