When Jalen Milroe landed in Seattle, it was with zero pressure to bring about immediate changes. After all, the Seahawks brought in QB Sam Darnold with a three-year, $100.5 million contract in the offseason. Milroe is a raw talent who needs to be refined, and if done right, his talents could reach immense heights. But just imagine what he would look like if immediately thrust into the spotlight…

Anthony Richardson. That’s a name that comes to mind. With limited experience out of college, he needed time to develop, but instead, he was pushed into the QB1 role during Week 1 of his rookie year. It isn’t surprising he still hasn’t found any rhythm. But the Seahawks will make sure not to make such a mistake with Milroe. The rookie will be able to sit, observe, and learn for at least a season, and we reckon head coach Mike Macdonald would wait to develop him.

And so, as training camp progresses, the franchise has started to clarify its expectations for Milroe. In fact, Seahawks GM John Schneider was on The Rich Eisen Show two weeks ago, where he spoke about the QB: “All these guys coming in, it takes a minute… It takes a lot of time for these guys to develop, and you know, get those pro reps and several different coordinators. I think like three or four coordinators in college and several position coaches. So again, getting him in a system where he can be comfortable and the staff’s gonna try to do some unique things with him, the offensive staff.

“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 with the ball in his hand. So he is a special young man. He has been great so far. Everybody raved about the work ethic and the personality.” Well, no wonder Sports Illustrated has ranked Milroe (No. 22) higher than expected among backup quarterbacks, signaling that his potential is already drawing national attention.

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, the NFL is a different game where 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. His struggles with anticipation and timing often result in interceptions or contested throws, especially over the middle.

However, 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 that included Tyrod Taylor, Mason Rudolph, and Joe Milton III, there was also one name mentioned for the

Seattle Seahawks: Jalen Milroe.

Explaining the season behind his ranking, Manzano opined that the QB’s athleticism could make him a very dangerous playmaker. Perhaps that’s the reason the Seahawks chose him despite signing Darnold. The rookie can also be used as a red-zone threat this season.

Well, 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 at his best. As he has said earlier this month, “My goal, honestly, is to come in and be the best version of myself, be better than I was the day before,” and it would be great if the rookie makes that happen every single day of the OTAs.

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