Joe Milton's Preseason Debut Against Panthers Sparks Patriots QB Controversy

data-mm-id=”_yg1cevq4j”>A bit more than two decades ago, a sixth-round draft pick burst onto the scene in New England and seized the reins at quarterback from the first-round selection who previously held the job.That's not exactly what played out in the rain last night under the bright lights at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, but sixth-round selection Joe Milton III, who played six years of college football split between Michigan and Tennessee, was under center at QB for the final quarter and a half of a preseason contest that saw the Patriots roll to a 17-3 win over the Carolina Panthers. Milton, who has largely been an afterthought due to New England selecting Drake Maye at No. 3 overall in the draft out of UNC, was 4-of-6 for 54 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown. But it was rushing ability, which only accounted for 22 yards overall, that made things interesting.Here's Milton's best run of the night:And so it begins. Remember where you were when Joe Milton III’s legend was born pic.twitter.com/aYz3rfwJ5K— Jerry Thornton (@jerrythornton1) August 9, 2024The 24-year-old's ability and willingness to run to hell and back to get a first down on second-and-five in the third quarter of a meaningless preseason game certainly made an impression on Patriots fans, who only saw a series apiece from starter (for now) Jacoby Brissett and backup Maye. The manner in which Milton was able to execute as New England's QB1 made an impression with 38-year-old Patriots coach Jerod Mayo, the first person to hold that role since January 2000 when Bill Belichick was on the sideline."Joe went out there and I don't think we've ever seen a quarterback here run around as much as he did and was still able to get the ball down the field," Mayo said. "He's one of those guys. It was Joe."Is Joe Milton the best QB in the AFC East? pic.twitter.com/lvGIk2kacq— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) August 9, 2024In all reality, Milton is likely still behind on New England's depth chart behind QB1 Brissett and QB2 Maye. Unfortunately for Milton, he still may even be buried behind Bailey Zappe, who replaced Mac Jones as New England's starting quarterback last season and took over last night during the game's third series and went 12-for-20 for 108 yards.For one night at least though, Milton was the man at the top of the depth chart."I have a big personality, I'm going to show my personality every time I have the chance to. My thing is, I want to make sure everybody smiles. Every day. Day in and day out. Make sure everybody smiles day in and day out," Milton said after the game.A sixth-round pick for New England did it before. Maybe Milton can do the same.

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