Former Alabama QB Jalen Milroe was one of the most polarizing prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft class. He was ultimately selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round back in April, and with the team signing free-agent Sam Darnold to a $100 million contract, Milroe is expected to have plenty of time to sit back and develop before he is asked to play.
The problem is, Milroe may be ready to play quicker than anyone expected.
In the first week of Training Camp, Milroe has immediately turned heads with his play. He has mostly worked with the third team with the Seahawks behind Darnold and veteran backup Drew Lock, but he has made the most of the reps he has gotten.
The fact that Milroe has been impressive in non-game settings, and without pads, is a great sign for his development. His athleticism is what makes him such an intriguing prospect, but his arm has been the talk of Seahawks camp:
Jalen Milroe had a heck of a practice. He was making so many plays with his arm that he did pushups on the sideline after completing a 20 yard pass to Ricky White because the throw forced White to dive for it. pic.twitter.com/VDjJBEiB34
— Brian Nemhauser (@hawkblogger) July 24, 2025
How the Seahawks utilize Jalen Milroe will be fascinating to watch
No matter how good Milroe looks in Training Camp and Preseason, Seattle has too much invested in Darnold for him not to be the starter, at least at the beginning of the season. If things go awry and the Seahawks are outside of the playoff chase, or Darnold just outright struggles, maybe they give Milroe a chance sometime this season.
Most likely, however, is that Milroe will see playing time in specialty packages while serving as QB2 or even QB3. It's probably only a matter of time before Milroe supplants Lock as Darnold's primary backup, but the coaching staff will need to trust that Milroe is capable of playing real snaps and not just in special situations in case of an injury to Darnold.
Most figured it would take a year or two before Milroe was potentially ready to start. The Seahawks are fine being patient; they trust that Darnold is going to be the short-term solution at QB, and are hopeful that Milore can be the long-term option.
At his current developmental pace, he could be ready to play a lot quicker than most experts assumed. He has clearly put the work in this offseason and is pushing himself to get better. If he can continue to develop as a passer, then Milroe could become one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the NFL thanks to his dual-threat ability.