Seahawks Reportedly 'Envision' Jalen Milroe 'Playing a Few Plays Per Game'

Seattle Seahawks fans reportedly won't have to wait long to see rookie Jalen Milroe take the field.

ESPN's Brady Henderson reported Thursday the NFC West team plans to play the Alabama product "in a specialty role" during his rookie campaign. Specifically, "Seattle envisions Milroe playing a few plays per game in packages that will take advantage of his running ability."

He is not expected to challenge Sam Darnold for the starting role and may find himself behind Drew Lock for the backup spot, but even a little bit of playing time could play into the eventual assessment ahead of the 2026 campaign. 

Darnold's contract features a potential out after the 2025 season, so the Seahawks could decide to proceed forward with Milroe as their quarterback of the future.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department released a scouting report on Milroe ahead of the draft and pointed to his "explosive" running ability as one of his greatest strengths. That Seattle would look to take advantage of that after using a third-round pick on him comes as no surprise.

That same scouting report also highlighted pocket presence and anticipatory throws as weaknesses he needs to improve before he becomes a complete quarterback.

While the special running packages Seattle is planning won't help him along those lines, he did tell Cameron Van Til of SeattleSports.com he plans to use a virtual reality headset to help him make strides in those areas much in the same way Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders did last year.

That will, in theory, help him make strides as a passer and someone who can read NFL defenses even if he isn't getting many live in-game reps behind Darnold.

And that could, along with his running ability, put him in position to challenge for the starting spot in 2026.