Jalen Milroe spent the week taking extra reps while the Seattle Seahawks managed Drew Lock’s throwing elbow. On Saturday, the Seahawks left Adrian Martinez on the practice squad, making Milroe their only backup for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Lock will start with Sam Darnold sidelined. If his elbow forces him out, Seattle’s offense is Milroe’s to run.
The Seahawks used their two practice-squad elevations on tackle Bobby Hart and receiver Montorie Foster Jr. and filled an open spot on the 53-man roster with defensive tackle Deven Eastern. Martinez, who signed Wednesday after Seattle ruled Darnold out, stays on the practice squad. Hart gives Seattle a swing tackle with Charles Cross out, and Foster gives the Seahawks another receiver with Rashid Shaheed sidelined.
Jalen Milroe’s Extra Reps Carry Into Cardinals Game
Lock spent the past two games dressed as Seattle’s emergency third quarterback while he worked through the elbow injury. Milroe backed up Darnold both times. Now Lock goes from the emergency role to the starting lineup, with Milroe still the first quarterback off the bench.
Lock was limited in practice all week, but he said Thursday that his elbow was improving and that he expected to handle a normal week. He received no game designation on Friday, when Mike Macdonald confirmed him as the starter. Lock threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns in Seattle’s 31-7 win over Arizona in Week 2.
Seattle also went into that first Arizona game with Lock and Milroe available while Darnold sat. This time, Lock’s elbow affected how the Seahawks divided the work in practice. As Heavy reported earlier this week, bringing in Martinez gave Seattle another option to run the scout team while Milroe prepared to run the Seahawks’ offense. Milroe got extra reps as Seattle managed Lock’s workload.
Whoever takes snaps Sunday will also work behind a reshuffled left side of the line. Josh Jones is set to start at left tackle for Cross, and Seattle ruled out left guard Quenton Nelson with a knee injury.
Why the Seahawks Won’t Have an Emergency Third QB
Under the NFL’s emergency quarterback rule, a team can dress a third quarterback from its 53-man roster without using a game-day active spot. That player can enter if both active quarterbacks are sidelined by injury or disqualification. A standard practice-squad elevation could have made Martinez available as a regular game-day player. Designating him as the emergency quarterback would have required a spot on the 53-man roster.
For Seattle, that distinction matters if both Lock and Milroe have to come out. With Martinez on the practice squad and Darnold ruled out, the Seahawks would have to turn to a player at another position to take snaps.
Seattle Seahawks Make QB Decision With Jalen Milroe One Snap Away