Seahawks saw Jalen Milroe’s flashes — and the same flaws that frustrated Alabama fans

Jalen Milroe had a big opportunity on Saturday: his first NFL start, albeit in the preseason and under less than ideal circumstances. Milroe would start and play the whole way, but alongside second, third, and even fourth stringers for the Seattle Seahawks, with quite a few guys who won't be on the roster by the time the regular season rolls around. To make it worse, the Green Bay Packers played their starting defense for the first part of the game.

The former Alabama QB flashed some brilliance, including a couple of nice throws and his first NFL touchdown. But he was sacked five times, showing that same propensity to bail the pocket a little too early like he did in college. Most frustratingly, Milroe fumbled three times, showing the same struggles with ball security that plagued him at Alabama last season and drew the ire of Crimson Tide fans.

Last season, Milroe accounted for 18 turnovers - he threw 12 interceptions and lost six fumbles. The highs with Milroe were always exceptional - nobody could pull a big play out of nowhere quite like him. But the lows were nearly limitless. He had disastrous turnovers and put together some of the single-worst QB performances for an Alabama QB in two decades.

That Jekyll-and-Hyde performance was on full display in Seattle's 20-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Saturday afternoon. His final stat line doesn't look too bad: 13-of-24 for 148 yards and a touchdown, with 31 yards on the ground. But the three fumbles were a killer, and something he'll have to work on if he ever wants a real shot at being an NFL starter.

Jalen Milroe will have time to sit back and develop in Seattle

The Seahawks signed Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100 million contract in free agency this offseason. He's got the now for the franchise, and they'll hope that Milroe has the future. As for now, the former Crimson Tide two-time captain will get the luxury of no real expectations for his rookie season.

He won't start, and he's not likely to be the backup, either. Veteran Drew Lock is expected to be the No. 2 QB with the Seahawks carrying three signal-callers on their regular-season roster.

Seattle may have a "Milroe package" of a few set plays to take advantage of his athleticism, particularly in the red zone. If he wants that to happen, however, he'll have to show a better ability to take care of the football. He won't get on the field at all if the Seahawks coaching staff can't trust him to hold on to the football.

But Milroe won't have to start a game during the 2025 season, barring some major injuries. He'll have time to sit back, work to get better, and the next time Seattle fans see him in a starting role, he's likely to have made a major leap forward.