National media outlet pours cold water on Colin Cowherd's suggestion that Joe Milton could win Patriots' starting QB job
Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd went semi-viral last week when he suggested that fans shouldn't be surprised if former Tennessee Vols quarterback Joe Milton wins the New England Patriots' starting quarterback job over fellow rookie Drake Maye and veteran Jacoby Brissett. Milton was selected by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft […]
Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd went semi-viral last week when he suggested that fans shouldn't be surprised if former Tennessee Vols quarterback Joe Milton wins the New England Patriots' starting quarterback job over fellow rookie Drake Maye and veteran Jacoby Brissett.
Milton was selected by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft earlier this spring. Maye, meanwhile, was selected by New England with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft.
While Cowherd sounds confident in his bold take that Milton can win the starting job, The Athletic's Chad Graff, who covers the team on a daily basis, doesn't see it the same way.
Graff noted on Monday that the gap between Milton and Maye/Brissett is "quite large", though he also admitted that the former Vol has been better than he expected.
"The sixth-round pick has been better than I expected, and his highlight plays are incredible," wrote Graff. "He has one of the strongest arms in the NFL, but the gap between him and Brissett/Maye is still quite large."
The most likely scenario for the Patriots this fall is that Brissett starts while Maye continues to develop. Milton, despite his propensity to wow in practice with his highlight reel worthy deep throws, is still viewed as a "project".
Milton would have to play at a ridiculously high level during preseason action to have any sort of a chance to start for the Patriots. That's because starting Milton would signal to the New England fan base that the franchise "missed" on Maye in the first round.
I just can't see a scenario where the Patriots go down that road (especially since New England isn't expected to compete for a playoff spot in 2024). It's much more likely that they roll with Brissett until they think Maye is ready (which might not be in 2024).
Milton's had a nice training camp so far, but the only thing it means is that he's likely to beat out Bailey Zappe for the No. 3 quarterback job on New England's depth chart.
Tennessee Vols could soon benefit from Deion Sanders’ ineptitude as a head coach
Wouldn’t be a surprise at this point
