The Seattle Seahawks will be without starting quarterback Sam Darnold in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals after he suffered a glute injury in Week 1. This means Jalen Milroe moves up one spot on the depth chart from QB3 to QB2. He will get reps in practice, and he could eventually get reps in the real game, too.
Drew Lock will start, and he was solid after replacing Darnold in one series against the New England Patriots. He and the offense finally clicked enough to push Seattle to a 13-10 victory. Lock has to be good for at least one more game with Darnold out while also staying healthy. If the latter doesn't happen, Milroe is the new QB1, at least temporarily.
Even him getting reps should help his growth. If he looks sharp in practice, whether he enters a game or not, 2027 could shape up to be quite different for head coach Mike Macdonald's team at the quarterback position. Darnold is still under contract, but Lock isn't.
Jalen Milroe creeping closer to becoming extremely important for the Seattle Seahawks
The assumption is that Darnold will be extended next year at some point, likely before the season. Lock could leave in free agency to give trying to be QB1 somewhere else one more go. After all, when he was traded to Seattle as part of the trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, Lock was theoretically in a battle with Geno Smith for Seattle's QB1.
Lock is only 29 years old, so he has many years left to pull a Sam Darnold, resurrect his career, and become a starter with a team where he is a good fit. Should he leave, Milroe would presumably become the long-term QB2. Or would he?
The former Alabama quarterback is stuck in an odd spot. Lock appears to like playing and living in the Pacific Northwest; he is friends with Darnold and rightfully well-liked by the Seattle Seahawks organization. The team could re-sign him in free agency, leaving Milroe as the QB3. Lock probably isn't going to return to Seattle unless he is QB2.
This would mean Milroe could be a trade option for another team, one that will be very interested in the next week or so in how well Milroe performs in practice as the backup to Lock with Darnold missing time. While teams can't send representatives to Seahawks practice to watch Milroe, enough information is known about practice performances that would interest other teams.
As a rookie, Jalen Milroe played on three downs in real games, and all failed. The specific plays were gimmicky, though, such as an option run where Milroe pitched the ball late to Zach Charbonnet in Week 5, and the play resulted in a fumble and turnover.
In training camp this year and in preseason play, especially preseason Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Milroe was much sharper with a firmer grasp on the offense (even though Seattle has a different offensive coordinator from last year). Some teams may have noticed his performance and started developing a plan to acquire him via trade if he becomes available.
Or maybe Milroe is forced to play a bit against the Cardinals in Week 2 due to something happening with Lock, and Milroe plays well. If that happens, Lock could not be re-signed because the team sees Milroe as the QB2 next year, with the potential to move up to QB1 if something happens long-term with Darnold.
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