The Seattle Seahawks game against the Kansas City Chiefs might have been meaningless in terms of outcome, but for many of the players involved, the contest had a lot of importance. That included second-year quarterback Jalen Milroe.
Last season and through some of training camp this year, Milroe has been inaccurate and has shown some of the poor on-field decisions that have plagued him. One of the knocks on him when he left college was that he had lots of raw ability but was not fundamentally sound.
Most of the takeaways from preseason Week 3 were very positive for the QB. His offense didn't score a lot of points, but the reason for that ineffectiveness should not be placed on Milroe.
Jalen Milroe offered lots of positives for the Seattle Seahawks in preseason Week 3
Takeaway 1: Milroe has a far greater grasp on the offense in 2026
In the 2025 preseason, when Milroe was tasked with getting reps, it seemed as if he had rarely played football in his life. He could throw the ball a long way and run extremely fast, but being in charge of an offense was well beyond him. He was inefficient, and his offense suffered when he was on the field.
Milroe also appeared nervous (rightfully so) when practicing or playing, and that forced him to not be able to make decisions quickly. If a quarterback is slow to decide what to do, horrible things will happen. Even with a new offensive coordinator this year in the person of Brian Fleury, the second-year QB is far more sure of what he is supposed to be doing.
Takeaway 2: Milroe is capable of passing accuracy
Sure, the quarterback was going up against backups for most of the game, but he was also throwing to backups. If Milroe were pressed into real action for the Seattle Seahawks, he would get to work with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, who make their breaks cleaner, and passes don't have to create an opening for them.
Overall, Milroe was 16 of 26 passing for 223 yards, a touchdown, but no interceptions. Three of those incompletions came in successive order on one drive in the second half, but mostly because the quarterback was under immediate duress from the Chiefs' pass rush. When Milroe needed to be accurate, he was, especially over the middle of the field.
Takeaway 3: Milroe is beginning to show he understands when to run and when not to
Besides throwing the ball well, Milroe also did not appear to be unsure about when to throw or run. He scrambled when he needed to, and he was a real threat when he did. His speed is elite and a scary thing for the opposing defense.
He ran seven times for 20 yards, but most of those were to escape pressure. If something happens to Sam Darnold and Drew Lock, and Milroe needed to start, Brian Fleury would likely have quite a few more designed runs for the QB3.
Takeaway 4: Milroe needs to play to get better but he isn't going to play
Some players can sit and learn and be decent when they finally get a chance to perform, but many need to learn the scheme and then apply that with lots of reps in practice and then in real games. Jalen Milroe appears to be one of those types of players.
The good part is that if he does have to play, he would likely get better as games go by. The issue is that once the season begins, he is going to see fewer reps in practice, as most of those will go to Darnold. This doesn't mean Milroe will take a step back during the season for the Seahawks, but if awful things happen and QB3 is suddenly QB1, the offense isn't likely to be good right away.
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