Jalen Milroe has been here before, sort of.
When he was an athletic young quarterback playing at Alabama, Milroe took over the starting job for the Crimson Tide in the middle of the season after it was given to someone else.
There will now be a question of whether he can do the same for the Seattle Seahawks.
The Seahawks lost Sam Darnold to a hip injury on the opening night of the season on Wednesday, and it’s not clear how long he’ll have to be out.
Seattle didn’t exactly get a riveting offensive showing from backup QB Drew Lock.
The question will at least be asked: Should Milroe get a shot?
The Seahawks picked him in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but he wasn’t available on Wednesday night. He was officially the Seahawks’ emergency third QB, which means he can only get in the game if both of the first two guys are hurt.
Next Week Can Be Different
If Darnold has to miss time, Milroe won’t have to be the emergency QB3.
At worst, he’d be the QB2, potentially with a chance at some run-specialty packages.
And if Seattle wants a different kind of spark, it could turn to Milroe to start instead of Lock.
Alabama Takeover Experience
During the 2023 season, Milroe found his way into the starting gig after it was given to someone else.
It was kind the bumpy road, too.
Milroe won the starting job out of camp, but he was benched after Alabama lost to Texas.
Tyler Buchner was poor against USF, though, and Nick Saban tried Ty Simpson out after that.
Simpson, too, was replaced eventually — and he was replaced by Milroe.
It was clearly a different situation because it was Milroe getting his job back as opposed to being given a job he never had.
But it still proved that Milroe could step in even after some doubts and deliver.
Seahawks Choices
The simplest thing for Seattle to do if Darnold misses time is start Lock. He has experience as a QB1 in the NFL, and so it would be a defensible decision.
It doesn’t feel like an offense led by Lock has a lot of upside, though.
Seattle could go outside the organization, but that could take a bit of time to find the right fit and get someone up to speed.
The wild card would truly be Milroe. Maybe it would backfire. But maybe it would add an entirely new dimension to the Seahawks’ offense.
And he’s proven before that he can step in partway through a season. That was the SEC, and this is the NFL. Maybe he can do it again.
Jalen Milroe Taking Over Starting Job at Alabama Sets Up Next Week With Seahawks