Eagles poach QB from Cowboys amid Jalen Hurts blood clot uncertainty

The Philadelphia Eagles plan to poach a quarterback from an NFC East rival in the wake of Jalen Hurts' unexpected injury .

The Eagles are signing Joe Milton III off the practice squad of the Dallas Cowboys , according to multiple reports on Friday, Oct. 16. This was the start of Milton's second season with the Cowboys after being traded to Dallas by the New England Patriots in exchange for a fifth-round pick in April 2025 .

NFL rules stipulate that a player signed off another team's practice squad must be placed on the 53-man roster. The Eagles are scheduled to host the Carolina Panthers in Week 6 action on Sunday.

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How Joe Milton fits with Eagles after Jalen Hurts injury

The Eagles announced on Thursday that Hurts has a "superficial blood clot," that he is believed to have suffered during the team's Oct. 4 game against the Los Angeles Rams . He was cleared to play in Philadelphia's Oct. 11 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, England, before a follow-up ultrasound "revealed movement in the small blood clot." That led the Eagles to shut Hurts down for the immediate future.

Before acquiring Milton, back-up Tanner McKee and rookie Cole Payton were the only other quarterbacks listed on the Philadelphia roster. McKee, 26, is slated to be the starter under center in Week 6 for the Eagles. He was the starting quarterback during the final game of the Eagles' regular season in each of the past two years and had a 1-1 record in those appearances. Payton was Philadelphia's fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

If McGee were to falter and Hurts' absence forces an injured reserve stint, Milton could have an opportunity to start some games in Philadelphia. He's long been an intriguing developmental prospect because of his arm strength and could offer a downfield passing element to an offense that has struggled to generate explosive plays.

Milton has never started an NFL game and has five career regular-season appearances over two seasons with the Patriots and Cowboys. Most of Milton's experience has come in the preseason, including several impressive moments in August with Dallas.

Milton completed more than 67% of his passes over three 2026 exhibition games for 378 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. It included an eye-popping performance in his lone preseason start on Aug. 22 against the Arizona Cardinals in which he completed 9 of 13 passes for 179 yards and accounted for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing).

He won't be a long-term answer due to inconsistency and accuracy issues that have cropped up throughout his career. But Milton has shown enough promise to become a helpful stopgap until Hurts is back. It's a relatively low-risk move for the Eagles.