OXNARD, Calif. -- The ball leaves Joe Milton III's right hand and seems to touch the bright, blue California sky. There is no wobble as it travels 60 or 70 yards. Sprinting down the field, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Brooks sees the pass and makes a diving grab, rolling into the end zone for a touchdown in Tuesday's joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams.

It is one of Milton's many 'wow' moments during his first training camp with the Cowboys. 'The arm is very evident,' Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. 'I mean, you cannot miss the arm strength.'

But a quarterback is not measured solely on wow moments. He is also measured on the mundane, making the right read in the right situation. Sometimes, it is OK to be boring.

When the Cowboys play the Rams in their preseason opener Saturday at SoFi Stadium, Milton will likely get plenty of opportunities for some wow plays because Dak Prescott is not playing. The starting quarterback has not played in a preseason game since 2019, and even though he is returning from a hamstring avulsion that required surgery last season, the Cowboys do not want to risk his health before the regular-season opener Sept. 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

And the Cowboys also have to learn more about Milton, who was acquired in a trade from the New England Patriots in April. 'I'm very excited,' said Milton, who added that the thumb he injured later in the practice against the Rams is fine. 'Football season is back around. Another opportunity to get out there with a new team, a new bunch of guys that I've been studying and learning with through the grind.'

Joe Milton III was a sixth-round pick by the Patriots in 2024 before being traded to Dallas this offseason. In Cooper Rush, the Cowboys had a proven veteran as Prescott's backup, but Rush joined the Baltimore Ravens in free agency. Milton is in his second year.

Three days before the beautiful touchdown throw to Brooks, Milton waited before firing another deep ball, which also looked beautiful, but this time it was into double coverage and was intercepted by undrafted rookie Alijah Clark.

'It's easy as a quarterback when you have that red jersey on at practice to sit there and go through your reads, be comfortable the whole time,' quarterbacks coach Steve Shimko said. 'He's great fundamentally. His feet get better every day as well. But what his biggest jump has taken this camp was playing every practice like it's a game, like he could really get hit.'

Sometimes, the checkdown is the right play, although Milton admits, 'I do trust my arm a lot.' 'He wants me to have a time clock in my head,' Milton said of Schottenheimer. 'That pretty much goes for every quarterback, every young quarterback that hasn't had as much reps. It's pretty much having a time clock and not being back there trying to sit and wait.'

Prescott has helped Milton learn the offense. His message was the same as a coach. 'Something I push him [to do] is just playing every play and every snap like it's a real game,' Prescott said. 'Whether it's throwing it away or getting to the next play or getting to the next read. I think [Thursday] was actually one of his best days. ... He ran a lot of plays out there, and it may not have been something you guys write about, but they were very much on the time clock. ... He's grown a lot.'

Rush's best asset was his reliability. He went 9-5 as a starter and had 20 touchdown passes to 10 interceptions. He had only two games with more than 300 yards passing, but he largely avoided mistakes.

Prescott, who turned 32 earlier in camp, has missed games in four of the past five seasons because of ankle, calf, thumb and hamstring issues. The Cowboys hope they aren't forced to start Milton this season, but they also have to make sure he's ready.

'I think we have faith in Joe already,' Schottenheimer said. 'But it's incredibly important. You're talking about a guy who hasn't played a whole lot of football, not just in the National Football League, [but] in college. Some of these guys coming out of college, they've got five and six years' worth of starts.'

He's going to make some mistakes. That's part of preseason football. S---, I'll make some mistakes, being a first-time head coach. That's why we do preseason. But the reps are important for him just because every chance he gets to stand back there and ... 'drive the car.'

In his lone appearance last season with the Patriots, taking over for Drake Maye after one series, Milton completed 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a score as New England beat the Buffalo Bills, who sat most of their regulars for the playoff chase.

'[That game] allowed me to accept the fact that I'm here and that I can play in this league,' Milton said. 'But I feel like there's a lot more that I can do and let out.'

He gets another chance against the Rams. 'Just be the best version of myself, that's my goal every day,' Milton said. 'Just do what I know how to do best, and that's just play football, get the guys around me happy, excited and involved.'