The Seattle Seahawks are turning up the heat. Especially in the quarterback room, which looks dramatically different from the end of last season. The team moved on from Geno Smith, traded backup Sam Howell to Minnesota. Also, they signed veteran Sam Darnold. To further increase competition, the Seahawks selected Jalen Milroe in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
As training camp progresses, the franchise has started to clarify its expectations for Milroe. Seahawks GM John Schneider spoke about the rookie quarterback on May 31. When asked by a reporter about Milroe, Schneider said, “He’s got some of those wows and woes.” He continued, “And then all of a sudden, he takes off, scoring from 50, 60, 70 yards and running 22 MPH.” Sports Illustrated has reportedly ranked Milroe higher than expected among backup quarterbacks, signaling that his potential is already drawing national attention.
#Seahawks GM John Schneider on QB Jalen Milroe:
“He’s got some of those wows and woes and then all of a sudden he takes off, scoring from 50, 60, 70 yards and running 22 MPH. pic.twitter.com/Fd15fZhU3g
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) June 1, 2025
But before diving into that part of the conversation, let’s break down the “woes and wows” of Jalen Milroe. This is the same quarterback who completed 205 of 319 passes during the 2024 NCAA season. He threw for over 2,800 yards in both 2023 and 2024. Moreover, he racked up 39 touchdowns across those two years. Impressive, right? Still, leaping the NFL is a different game—many college stars struggle to keep up against pro-level defenses.
Milroe’s main challenges include inconsistency with accuracy and pocket presence, along with concerns about his overall reliability as a passer. According to his NFL.com combine profile, analyst Lance Zierlein notes that Milroe is an “explosive athlete who is very capable outside the pocket,” but adds that he “lacks accuracy, touch, and decision-making inside the pocket.” His struggles with anticipation and timing often result in interceptions or contested throws, especially over the middle.
Still, Milroe isn’t backing down. During training camp, he’s been showing what he’s made of—pushing himself to prove he belongs at the next level.
Jalen Milroe is in higher rankings for the backup QB position
Jalen Milroe has improved enough to make his name in the backup QB room. And this forced SI to rank him higher in the backup QB position. Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated has made a list of backup QBs for 32 NFL teams in 2025. So, in the list of Tyrod Taylor, Mason Rudolph, and Joe Milton III, there was also one name ahead of the Seattle Seahawks: Jalen Milroe.
While explaining why he selected Milroe as a backup QB and not Drew Lock or others, Gilberto Manzano said, “Milroe struggles as a passer, but his freakish athleticism could make him a dangerous playmaker. This explains why the Seahawks rolled the dice on the Alabama product despite signing Sam Darnold in the offseason.” He also added, “There’s been talk coming out of Seattle about the possibility of the team utilizing Milroe as a red-zone threat this season.” Before this training camp, Milroe had also impressed everyone at the rookie minicamp in the first week of May.
Maybe the new coaches, new team, new teammates, and the places sometimes don’t give time to settle down and join the dots in the first meeting. But as time goes by, rookies like Jalen Milroe can own the stage. That’s when he is comfortable, at peace, and his best. As he has said, “My goal, honestly, is to come in and be the best version of myself, be better than I was the day before,” it would be great if Jalen makes that happen every single day of the OTAs.
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