RENTON, WASHINGTON - JULY 25: Jalen Milroe #6 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts during practice at Virginia Mason Athletic Center on July 25, 2026 in Renton, Washington. (Jack Compton / Getty Images)
RENTON, Wash. - Seattle Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe believes he's made significant strides over the last year and is looking forward to the chance to play again in the preseason to put those lessons to the test.
"I'm so excited because it's another opportunity to be on the field, put all the work as far as all of the guys being together in the offseason and now transitioning going into the season, it's fun, and I'm super excited to now take the field this week," Milroe said.
The backstory:
Milroe, a third-round pick of the Seahawks a year ago, spent all of last season as the third-string option for Seattle behind Sam Darnold and Drew Lock. While there was some thought that Milroe would be able to contribute as a bit player last season in specialty packages. However, it was a short-lived experiment with just three snaps – all rushing attempts – over three games, which included a lost fumble in a 38-35 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But Milroe got to sit and watch what it takes for a team to win a Super Bowl and is hoping the things he learned allows him to take a step forward in his own game.
"I think overall, just you know, going into offseason of seeing what right looks like in the sense of offense, right?" Milroe said. "We're going to the Super Bowl, so we had to do something right as an offense, the identity that we set, having a plan for everything that we're going to see as a group, and then also understanding our personnel of who we have on our offense. And so transition going into the offseason, you know, grasping all of that, understanding how taking care of your body is important, mastering being a problem solver at the quarterback position is always having a plan at Q. So I think that's so cool now going into this phase of going into the season and just seeing it, ripping it, and just being decisive."
Decisiveness appeared to be one area Milroe was lacking a season ago. A number of his snaps in training camp ended with him using his legs to scramble out of the pocket rather than making a throw to one of his receivers. While the first few days of training camp were a bit shaky, Milroe has been getting the ball out quicker and has made several really nice throws on the practice fields.
"He’s looked really good," tight end A.J. Barner said. "He’s throwing the ball very confident, and I think that’s the biggest thing, ask any player out here. You want to make confident decisions, and then go let it rip, and I think J-Mil is really taking the stride this camp. Again, another guy on Saturday that I’m stoked for him to just go out there and show what he’s got."
Milroe's athleticism and ability to make plays with his legs are still a tool in his arsenal, but the Seahawks have wanted to push his development as a passer first and foremost. It's difficult to make snaps available to a player that has too limited a skill-set with roster limits for games.
"He had a good offseason, and he’s had a good week and a half," offensive coordinator Brian Fleury said of Milroe in early August. "He’s doing a great job throwing the ball. Statistically he’s been efficient passing the ball. He’s making plays with his feet when necessary, but we’re focused on him playing quarterback. The elements of that aren’t always visible to everybody. It’s communication, it’s timing, it’s execution, it’s efficiency. He’s grown a lot in those areas."
Milroe went back to work with his personal quarterback coach – Jordan Palmer – this offseason to continue to work on the mechanics of his game.
"It was so important to get with my quarterback coaches in California and digest the year, understanding what is our footwork, timing on certain concepts, and then tying it to our workouts. Utilizing my whole body when it comes to throwing the football, getting in position, and being aligned to our target," Milroe said.
Darnold won't play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys. Instead, Lock and Milroe will be rotated throughout the game rather than having one quarterback start and then fully hand off to the other.
"I’m excited to see him go rip it," head coach Mike Macdonald said. "He’s really improved his game and go be himself. I think the cool thing about our system and what we want from our players, especially the quarterback position, is there’s different styles. Sam is great because he plays Sam’s brand of ball. I want Jalen to feel empowered to play his brand of football and go be himself out there, and let that shine, which he’s done in practice, so it’s time to do it in a game situation. I’m really excited for that."
Milroe believes the time watching has helped his game push forward. Now it's time to see how much of a leap he's been able to make.
"(As a) young quarterback it's so important just to learn," Milroe said. "You know, pick up notes, build off of those guys. And so now transitioning going into this year, you know, from their experience, I'm able to gather that and play even faster. So I'm excited because man, like it was so cool to just be able to learn last year, seeing what right looks like, and be able to pick up on it and now ball out."
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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